Glimpses of School Board Candidates

By Jennie Berkson and Mary Helt Gavin

In the March 7 issue the RoundTable offered profiles of the five candidates for the District 65 School Board and the seven candidates for the District 202 Board. This issue will feature their responses to questions at the Candidate Nominating Committee (CNC) forums held Feb. 28 and March 7. At these forums, candidates were asked different questions by the audience. Thus these snapshots offer individual, rather than comparative, pictures of the candidates. Jacob Novar, candidate for District 202, did not participate in the CNC forums.

The RoundTable has extended an invitation to each of the candidates to submit an essay for the April 4 issue and will publish the essays and photos of those who choose to participate.

Candidates for District 65

Katie Bailey: Ms. Bailey has volunteered extensively in the schools. She said, "The schools are filled with motivated, great teachers."

Ms. Bailey said she feels the Board and the Superintendent should work together. She feels the Board should not "manage the day-to-day business" but set policy, and if the Board wishes to implement a change, the Board should "make sure it's done. ...Ask questions in the community to make sure it's being done. If it's not being done, the Board needs to hold someone accountable." She said she also felt "frustrated" at the Board's bickering over the document by which to evaluate the Superintendent and saw that as an "indication of inefficiency."

Responding to a question of how she would change anything the current Board has done, Ms. Bailey said she believes both the Two-Way Immersion (TWI) and the African-Centered Curriculum (ACC) programs "allow us to address certain needs creatively." She would like to see a timetable and a framework to evaluate both programs.

She also said she believes the District has an "opportunity" to ensure that the general education classes are challenging.

Asked what areas she would focus on, Ms. Bailey said, "We are in good [financial] shape, due to the Board's and Superintendent's great work in this area. ... I have a special place in my heart for middle school and early childhood education. Those are the two areas I'd look at."

Adrian Dortch: Mr. Dortch, a product of District 65 schools and Evanston Township High School, is a candidate for both the 65 and 202 Boards. He said that by serving on both Boards he can help bridge the transition for students between middle school and high school and said he would like to see the two Districts "unified."

His style appears to be hands-on at the student and family levels. He suggests "hand-walking kids to school" and "building stronger family situations - have family nights where people can get together and talk." He said he would "find out exactly what is going on and take the information from the community to the Board." He adds, "It's everybody's duty to help kids."

He said teachers should "help kids develop passion and integrity" but feels some are too young to teach. "Some teachers are coming right out of school, and we have children teaching children." He also said teachers should be doing their jobs for more than "just a paycheck." He himself does not have a college degree but said, "Every child wants a degree." Yet he appears to advocate the teaching of skills over academics. In response to a question about closing the achievement gap, he said, "Every child is a gifted child. ... I think they need entrepreneurial skills. ... Try to figure out what a child is passionate about, what they have integrity about and help them turn that into a business."

He does not favor a referendum to increase taxes for the school districts: "I don't think we should raise any taxes whatsoever, whatsoever."

Bonnie Lockhart: Ms. Lockhart is a life-long resident of Evanston. A nurse by profession, she has been a volunteer at Orrington School, which her children attended, and in the community.

Ms. Lockhart said, "I'm not going into the campaign or the Board with a set agenda. I'm not on a mission." She also said, "We need to find out why we have so many disenfranchised parents."

She said she feels her role as a Board member is "oversight, setting goals, monitoring goals. [We should] have outcomes that are printed and available for all to see." She said another concern she has is "transparency" and that there should be greater communication between the Board and the community.

"The [Board] needs to change from a reactive mode. We ought to have the community and the Board rub shoulders - have town hall meetings twice a year." She added, "Many African-American parents feel very unwelcome by the Board. I grew up in Evanston and feel comfortable working with everyone in Evanston. While we're different, we're working for the same outcomes."

She actively supported the African-Centered Curriculum. She said, however, she felt the Board made too hasty a decision about the placement of the Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program. "I think what happened with the TWI program is unfortunate in that everybody's thoughts were not taken in to consideration." She also said the District should address the stigma that some put on special education. "There's so much mystery around special education. We need to take away that stigma, because special education is a benefit to our children."

Andrew Pigozzi: In his professional life as a school architect, Mr. Pigozzi has dealt with many school boards, and as a lifelong resident, he is a product of Evanston schools. He said he feels the District 65 Board is "ineffective" and said the Board should work with the Superintendent.

Mr. Pigozzi also said he believes communication between the Board and the community can be improved and names two concerns about public perception: that some people do not know a lot of good things going on and that some believe there are inequities among the schools. He said "there are a lot of good things going on" at the District - for example, "What teachers are doing with differentiated instruction is quite remarkable." He also said, "I think people feel there's an inequity - that they get a better education at school A than at school B." He adds he would "support a goal to solve that problem, and I would hold the Superintendent accountable to solve that problem."

Mr. Pigozzi said he believes in strengthening neighborhood schools and that academic results are more important than racial balance for the schools: "I admire the spirit of the 60-percent guideline [that no school should have more than 60 percent of one race]. I think results matter more than racial composition. What I hear from the African-American community is they care more about results than racial balance."

Keith Terry: Mr. Terry's education, a B.S. in bacteriology and an M.B.A., and experience in business - at Abbot Labs and in co-founding and managing his own company - have given him an idea of how a school district should operate. He said he "believes the school system can and should be better" and that the community "deserves a School Board that can work together."

He has one child with an IEP (individual education plan) and said, "The District has not done a good enough job identifying kids for special education - including my own son. Hopefully it's going to get better." He added, "From a monitoring point we can improve; and certainly from a delivery point we can improve."

Mr. Terry also said, "I'm a numbers kind of guy. I can ask tough questions. ... I'd like not to be reactionary but strategic in my approach." He added, "I'm a fan of clear, measurable goals. ...If there's a measurable goal, then we don't have to argue if it's met."

Referring to what he would do as a Board member, Mr. Terry said he would "look at the middle school curriculum. The Board has to put more of a strategic focus on to the middle school." He also said he thinks it is "critical that the District 65 and District 202 Boards meet more often and set strategic long-term goals."

Mr. Terry also said he is interested in academic results: "I am particularly interested in the performance of the kids in the ACC. ... Like any new program, maybe there's some tweaking that needs to occur." He also said he "wants to stay focused on achievement, gifted students included."

Candidates for District 202

Jane Colleton: Jane Colleton has served four terms on the D202 School Board; she is a teacher at Chiaravalle Montessori School and her four children all graduated from ETHS.

"We're on the verge of really important change with a new Superintendent, new business manager, new safety director - I know them, like them and can work with them," said Ms. Colleton.

Ms. Colleton advocates more community involvement at the high school, but "sometimes we send out an invitation and no one comes. We need to go to people, as well."

Extracurriculars are important to Ms. Colleton, she said, because they "help kids have a sense of belonging and a sense of place, but they are not a sacred cow." The spring play and intramurals were activities cut from the budget because they had less usefulness and attendance, according to Ms. Colleton.

Ms. Colleton said she believes that NCLB has raised the bar, which is good, but the standard is really high. "School change is agonizingly slow," and people who created law do not recognize that.

She is "still in the middle" on the proposed activity fee. "On the one hand, it's not a lot of money. Lots of other schools do it, and we got good support from the community initially. But this is a public school and we're supposed to do this through taxes."

Although she acknowledges that the state has money available to facilitate a unified district for two years, the "period of change would be awful and hard. There are arguments on both sides," she said. In the meantime, Ms. Colleton believes that joint Board meetings are useful and "we should do it more often."

Boris Furman: Boris Furman, Harvard B.A. and MBA, is a former 202 Board member (1995-1999). He is making his 3rd attempt at re-election. He has four children, three graduates of ETHS, one currently attending. He is the only candidate with a child at the high school.

Mr. Furman's major focus is on budgetary issues: "Past Boards have agreed to labor contracts that they can't afford." He feels that the unions at the high school are only representing their own interests when they decide whom to endorse for the Board, "not the parents, not the students, not the community."

Mr. Furman thinks that the Board has the responsibility "to provide an atmosphere where excellence is expected and failure is not tolerated." He "wants kids to have choices in classes because the board hasn't cut everything and to feel important, cherished, valued."

Mr. Furman was on the D202 Board when Homebase was implemented. "Homebase is important - the reason why people think we don't need Homebase is because we have it. Lots of kids who walk through the building are like shadows - they may hate Homebase, but at least it's somewhere they belong."

"I'm not going to be the strongest person on the Board about the No Child Left Behind Act," but if we hadn't "spent $25 million more than we took in over the past five years, we would have enough money to make progress in the achievement gap" and will continue to "if we spend it properly," he said.

Mr. Furman points to the implementation of Homebase as an example of his ability to build consensus. "I worked behind the scenes - it was hard to do, but we got it started."

He said that other candidates have other strengths, but "I'm talking about the budget ... because nobody else is."

Omar Khuri: An attorney, Mr. Khuri is a lifelong resident of Evanston, with one child who graduated from ETHS and the other currently attending Willard School. He has been involved at the high school as PTSA co-president, Booster Club Board member and ETHS Foundation ex-officio director. His campaign theme is "engaged, in touch, involved." Being a Board member would be an excellent opportunity to set standards with the new Superintendent - "to be a part of changes that will build on the excellence already created at ETHS.

"Public involvement in District 202 should not be limited to public comment time at Board meetings," said Mr. Khuri. "We can't control how involved the public gets in ETHS, but we can increase the amount of information provided to the public through the Internet, telephone, mail, holding meetings, forums.

Extracurricular activities are "near and dear" to Mr. Khuri's heart. He supports the idea of an activity fee, but wants more input "from stakeholders. Everyone has to sacrifice - administration should go back and find some money as well."

Mr. Khuri is not a big fan of Homebase: "We need to provide a different method for communication to students and identifying students' needs."

He feels that the No Child Left Behind Act presents "an unnecessary burden for us to achieve something that I don't see a lot of gain from. I don't like federal government telling us how to teach our children. I want to teach children life skills, how to think, not how to take a test."

William Wideman: Mr. Wideman is a 1997 graduate of ETHS. He's a security monitor at Evanston Public Library and heads a nonprofit organization serving youth, Attitudes Rising Toward Success, which provides a positive social activities.

He decided to run for the Board to set an example for young people in the community. "I want people to come together and collaborate so these kids can get what they need."

The achievement gap "really hurts me. We've got to step up as a community and do something about this." He believes that the Minority Student Achievement Network has failed to address the achievement gap. "We need to come up with a new approach."

Mr. Wideman believes that parents are an important key to improving the achievement gap. "It begins at home," he said. Literacy is also important, he thinks. "It doesn't make any sense that a 12th-grader should be reading at a ninth-grade level" and allowed to graduate from ETHS. "We're setting them up for failure.

"There has to be more collaboration with District 65, because these kids are coming in not knowing how to read. We have to start early," he said.

Mr. Wideman wants to see more money management and personal finance classes at ETHS. He also wants to make sure that the budget is "used effectively to get the teachers what they want, the students what they want and the community what they want."

In addition, he wants to see more vocational education, more programs on leadership.

He does not agree with the proposed activities fee. "I don't think it's necessary to charge these kids extra money."

Mr. Wideman advocates forming a youth council to "let kids become leaders in their own community and neighborhoods."

Mary Wilkerson: A lifelong resident of Evanston, Mary Wilkerson is an ETHS graduate whose daughter also graduated from ETHS. Ms. Wilkerson, currently retired, has served in many volunteer capacities in the community and is running for her third term on the D202 Board.

"I want to make sure that all students take advantage of the opportunities at ETHS," said Ms. Wilkerson. During the time she has been on the Board, "we have instituted more rigorous graduation requirements, redesigned evening school to form the Academy, and increased the number of school-to-work programs for students" to have an alternative to going to college.

Ms. Wilkerson questions "what kind of message would it [would] send" if the District opted out of the No Child Left Behind Act. "The Act has a laudable goal" and "we would still have to meet state requirements." She feels community input on this topic is important.

Racial diversity in the classroom is important to Ms. Wilkerson, but "I'd rather make sure children learn to read or write than worry whether they are sitting beside a person who is of a different religion or race. It doesn't do anything for your self-esteem if you can't read or write."

Ms. Wilkerson wants "to emphasize more partnerships with the community - [this] will enable us to expand our resources."

"I would hope that community would come out to budget hearings," rather than after we've voted and "the horse is out of the barn." She acknowledged that "we need to get more information out and publicize the meetings."

She believes that a new summer school program, Access ETHS, will aid transition from middle school for many students.

Voting Information for April 17 Election

The consolidated election is scheduled for April 17. Residents will have the opportunity to vote for three candidates for School Board for Districts 65 and three for District 202. In addition there will be candidates to serve on the boards of the Ridgeville Park District, Skokie Park District and Oakton Community College.

Two referendum questions about the Evanston Civic Center will be on the ballot asking whether it should remain the site of City of Evanston municipal offices.

From March 21 through April 3, people who missed the March 20 deadline to register to vote can do grace-period registration at the Cook County Clerk's office, 69 West Washington, Chicago.

Early voting will take place from March 26 through April 12 in room 2401 of the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to noon on two Saturdays, March 31 and April 7. Early voting will also be available at the Cook County Circuit Court Building during that time.

Individuals who plan to be out of town for early voting and on Election Day can request an absentee application and have a ballot sent to them. The first day a person can vote absentee is Friday, March 23. April 12 is the last day the County Clerk's office can receive an absentee application and mail out absentee ballots. Call 847- 866-2925.

D65 Test Scores Increase More Than State Averages

By Larry Gavin

After long delays the State Board of Education finally released the official results for the 2006 Illinois Standard Achievement Tests (ISATs) which were given to students almost a year ago. The final results are in line with the preliminary results released by the District last October, but they include data for each school and for the State as a whole.

On an overall basis, 83.6% of the District's students met standards on the ISATs across all subject areas, compared to 74% in the prior year, or a jump of 9.6% in one year. On the last eight ISATs, the percentage of students who met State standards is as follows: 1999 - 67%; 2000 - 69%; 2001 - 68%; 2002 - 67%; 2003 - 68%; 2004 - 72%; 2005 - 74%; 2006 - 83.6%.

"You have to give credit to our teachers and our principals," said Superintendent Hardy Murphy. He added that students have been improving at higher rates in recent years as systemwide changes to improve student achievement have been taking hold.

Students across the State showed substantial gains on the 2006 ISATs. On an overall basis, 77% of the students in the State met or exceeded standards on the ISATs across all subject areas, compared to 69.2% in the prior year, or an increase of 7.8%. In Chicago the increase went from 47.5% to 61.6%, or a 14.1% increase.

After years of mixed results or minimal gains, some question whether the jumps are due to changes in the test rather than improved student achievement. Some say the answer lies somewhere in between. See sidebar.

In commenting on the impact of changes in the tests, Dr. Murphy said, "If you look at the trend line in reading and math, this isn't the first time we've had improvement, we've had improvement over a period of years." He referred to third grade math scores which have showed continuous improvement over the last eight years and to third grade reading scores which show a four year incline. He attributed the gains to systemwide changes that have been put in place in the District.

All D65 schools improved
Scores improved at all of the District's 15 schools, with the biggest increases at Washington and Oakton schools. At Washington, 83% of the students met standards on the 2006 ISATs, up 24 percentage points over the prior year. At Oakton, 76% of the students met standards, up 19 points over the prior year.

Nichols Middle School showed strong gains with 83% of the students meeting standards, up 16 points over the prior year.

Test results at the schools varied, ranging from a high of 91% meeting standards at Dewey to a low of 76% at Oakton.

Reading Scores By Ethnic Group
District 65's black and Hispanic students showed huge jumps in reading scores, which outpaced the average increases at the State level.

The percentage of students meeting standards in reading on the 2006 ISATs is as follows:
· D65 black students - 64%, up 12 percentage points over the prior year. The statewide average for Black students is 51%, an increase of seven points.
· D65 Hispanic students - 70%, up 20 points over the prior year. The statewide average for Hispanic students is 60%, a 4 point increase.
· D65 white students - 95%, up 1 point over the prior year.

Scores of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students and students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) also showed substantial gains.

On a combined basis, 64% of the District's LEP students met standards in reading on the ISAT and the IMAGE tests, up 33 percentage points over the prior year. The percentage of IEP students meeting standards in reading increased from 33% in 2005 to 64% in 2006.

Math scores by ethnic group
Black and Hispanic students also showed substantial gains in math scores, and again the gains were higher than the State averages.

On the 2006 ISATs, the percentage of third and fifth graders who met standards in math were as follows:
· D65 Black students - 79%, up 11 percentage points over the prior year. The statewide average for Black students was 59%, up 9 points over the prior year.
· D65 Hispanic students - 89%, up 16 percentage points over the prior year. The statewide average for Hispanic students was 81%, up 9 points over the prior year.
· D65 White students - 99%, up two percentage points over the prior year.

LEP students showed strong gains on the 2006 ISATs and IMAGE tests. On a combined basis, 69% met standards in math, up 41% over the prior year.

The percentage of IEP students meeting standards in math increased from 41% in 2005 to 68% in 2006.

Eighty-seven percent of the District's eighth-graders met State standards in math. The State Board of Education, however, sharply lowered the bar to meet standards in math on the 2006 ISATs, so a comparison to prior year's results is not meaningful. The accompanying table shows the trend in ISAT scores by ethnic group for reading and math.

Changes in the 2006 ISATs

A number of changes were made to the 2006 ISATs which some critics say are responsible for or contribute to the higher scores:
· The State Board of Education sharply lowered the bar for eighth graders to meet standards in math on the 2006 ISATs. On a statewide basis the percentage of eighth graders who met standards in math increased from 54% on the 2005 ISATs to 78% on the 2006 ISATs, a jump of 24%.
· Students were given an extra 10 minutes per reading and math section. In reading, students had up to 165 minutes, compared with 120 before.
· New questions were prepared by a new contractor. State officials say a study was conducted to ensure uniformity of the tests.
· A new answer sheet made it more difficult to place answers in the wrong spot.

D65 Focuses Early Childhood Programs To Reach the ‘Neediest Children'

By Larry Gavin

District 65's administration is recommending that the District eliminate its Community Child Care program and that it use the space to expand its Pre-K at Risk or Head Start programs. Another possibility is to use the space to implement the State's "Preschool for All" program, if funding becomes available.

The rationale for the change is that low-income families have been priced out of the Community Child Care program, and the District may be able to offer their children early childhood education opportunities in an alternate program that is more heavily subsidized by State or federal funds.

Assistant Superintendent Susan Schultz said, "We're looking at all options to expand our reach to the neediest children of Evanston."

Superintendent Hardy Murphy said, "Everyone agrees that the earlier you provide supports for children, the better the chances are that they're going to do well in school."

Community Child Care Program
The District's Community Child Care program currently serves only 17 students ages 3-5 years, 11 of whom will be entering kindergarten in the fall. The enrollment is down from 78 students in the 2003-04 school year.

In March 2004 the School Board increased the fee to participate in the program by about 70%, in an attempt to make the program self-sufficient. This was one of many painful measures taken to balance the budget that year. Amy Small, supervisor of the program, said the increased fee, together with a change in the State's subsidy requirements, made the program "unobtainable for a lot of families."

The State provides a child-care subsidy for families meeting certain income requirements by giving them a voucher to pay for childcare. The amount of the subsidy is based on income level and size of the family.

While the District's Community Child Care program is open to all families, the weekly fee is $175 per child. The State subsidy is not enough to cover the cost of the fee, and very few families who qualify for the State subsidy are able to afford the difference between the State subsidy and the $175 fee, said Ms. Small.

"The families that are being served in the family Community Child Care Program are not the neediest of families in Evanston," said Ms. Small. "There are childcare options for these families in the community."

The District estimates that this year's cost of the Community Child Care program is $298,000 (including overhead allocations), about 45 percent of which is funded by state grants or parent fees.

Dr. Murphy said if the Community Child Care program is eliminated, "we may be able to expand our Pre-K or Head Start services and get more children in those slots who are not able to access childcare and who are not getting it."

Head Start/Pre-K at Risk
This year the District's Pre-K at Risk program serves 120 students at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, and 48 additional students in three child-care centers in Evanston pursuant to subcontracts. The half-day program serves children, aged 3-5 years, who meet one of 21 risk factors, such as poverty, limited English proficiency or having a teen parent.

In its Head Start program the District serves 153 children from low-income families, aged 3-5 years old, 102 in half-day and 51 in full-day.

State and federal funds cover about 85 percent of the cost of the Pre-K at Risk program and about 75 percent of the cost of Head Start. On a combined basis the number of children served in Pre-K and Head Start has increased from 181 in the 2003-04 school year to 321 this year (including children served through subcontracts).

Thus, over the past few years, the District has already shifted to programs which serve needier children and programs for which the reimbursement levels are much higher.

The goal of Pre-K at Risk and Head Start is to prepare children for kindergarten and to empower parents to become stronger advocates for their children. According to a Pre-Kindergarten report prepared by the District, 73 percent of the children in Head Start demonstrate kindergarten readiness in language development and 87 percent in social/emotional development. Sixty percent of the children in the Pre-K program who are entering kindergarten in the fall are currently considered ready for kindergarten, based on early-learning checklist categories.

Other recommendations/plans
The District plans to apply for a grant for the state's "Preschool for All" program, which has as its goal to provide pre-school for all 3- and 4-year-olds in the state. Families earning less than four times the poverty level would qualify for the program. Under the State's guidelines a family with two children that earns less than $52,800 would qualify for the program.

So far the State has budgeted limited amounts for the program. Dr. Judy Yturriago, supervisor of the District's Pre-K at Risk program, said very little funding for this program was given to school districts in northern Illinois last year.

In addition to recommending that the District eliminate the Community Child Care program, the administration plans to implement a Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) for all District 65 pre-K programs, to implement an appropriate evaluation system for the programs, and re-evaluate services in all programs to ensure the District is best utilizing staff and other resources.

The District also provides special education services for pre-primary age children (SPAAC) and a number of services through its Family Center. See sidebar below.

D65 Family Center
The District 65 Family Center is a family resource program providing family literacy, parental support and education, and educational training for parents and their children. It is designed to promote the involvement of parents in educating their children and providing young children with early learning experiences that lead to future academic success. The program has three projects:

· Even Start: The goal is to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by improving educational opportunities for low-income families. The project serves 84 children, ages birth-8, whose families are in need of services, as indicated by high levels of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and limited English proficiency. Budgeted expenses for FY 2007 are $146,328; the project is federally funded.

· Prevention Initiative: The goal is to ensure that at-risk children develop a strong foundation for learning. The project serves 60 children, ages birth-3, who fall into an at-risk category. Budgeted expenses for FY 2007 are $255,312; the project is funded by the State.

· Model Early Childhood Parental Training: The goal is to provide a coordinated system of services for parents and children that support the optimal development of children. The project provided services to about 800 children last year, ages birth to five. Budgeted expenses for FY 2007 are $47,821; the project is funded by the State.

D65 Pre-Kindergarten Programs
School District 65 currently provides four Pre‑Kindergarten Programs: Head Start, Pre‑K at Risk, SPPAC, and Community Child Care.

Head Start
· Promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children by providing educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and their families.
· Serves 153 children, aged 3-5 years, at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center (JEH). Children are from families below poverty guidelines.
· Annual expenses are $1,086,177, 74% of which is reimbursed by State and federal funds.

Pre-K at Risk
· Provides a half-day development program for children who are in an at-risk category, by reason of, e.g. chronic illness, domestic violence, poverty, limited English proficiency, having a teen parent, and whose skills need strengthening to ensure a successful transition to kindergarten.
· Serves 120 children, ages 3-5, at JEH; serves an additional 48 children through sub-contracts with the Child Care Center, Evanston Day Nursery, and McGaw YMCA Child Care Center.
· Annual expenses are $644,066, 94 percent of which is reimbursed by state and federal funds.

SPPAC
· Provides half-day and full-day special education programs; provides special education services to the early childhood programs as well as itinerant services including speech/language therapy and occupational and physical therapies.
· Serves 78 children, ages 3-5, in the classroom at JEH; provides itinerant services to 60 children. Provides screening and evaluation services for about 300 to 350 children each year to determine eligibility for special education and related services.
· Annual expenses are $1,413,545, almost all of which are paid by District 65 funds.
Community Child Care
· Provides a comprehensive literacy-enriched, developmentally appropriate educational child-care program.
· Serves 17 children, ages 2 1/2-5, at JEH; provides a full-day option for child care.
· Annual expenses are $298,484, 45% is reimbursed by parent fees and grants.

Tardy PSAE Scores Show Mixed Results

By Jennie Berkson

Mixed results characterized Evanston Township High School student performance on the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE), which determines whether the District has made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Problems with testing contractor Harcourt Assessment delayed by months the state's reporting of scores from the test taken by juniors in April 2006. Results should have been completed by late October 2006. (See sidebar for 2006 guidelines and explanation of AYP.)

Overall, District 202 failed to make AYP because at least one subgroup in each evaluated area (reading and math) failed to make the AYP requirement of 47.5 percent proficiency. White and Hispanic students met or exceeded the target in reading; black students and students with disabilities did not. Economically disadvantaged students met AYP because of the Safe Harbor provision. (See sidebar for explanation.)

For the first time, black students made AYP in math, because of the Safe Harbor provision. Economically disadvantaged students also made AYP because of Safe Harbor; students with disabilities did not make AYP, while white and Hispanic students did.

Despite the small improvement for black students in math, some School Board members were concerned.

"This is a continued embarrassment," said Board member Martha Burns. "It makes me feel very uncomfortable."

"I see it as a very sophisticated shell game," said Board President Ross Friedman, who has consistently advocated for the idea of opting out of compliance with NCLB. "It's really unfortunate with such a premier high school that we have to put up with this nonsense. Students are not widgets."

Board member Mary Wilkerson acknowledged that the results were frustrating but reaffirmed her support for the "concepts and goals" of No Child Left Behind. She also remarked, "I know we need to help students learn how to take tests, but I am also concerned about the acquisition of knowledge."

School administrators believe that more focus needs to be placed on preparing students to take the WorkKeys part of the PSAE and that the lack of preparation for that section may have been part of the reason for the limited progress against AYP as a whole.

"We're doing a lot more work with WorkKeys," said Dr. Judith Levinson, director of research and evaluation at ETHS. "It's a workplace readiness test, a very different test." Dr. Levinson said the Applied Sciences and Technology Department hadsadministered a practice WorkKeys test to students in their program, analyzed results to see where the students were weak, is looking at with ways to help students improve. "That's also happening in other departments," said Dr. Levinson.

A February 2007 report on the test preperation class offered during the 2005-6 school year reported that the focus had been on ACT preparation and that "it is clear that students need work both on the ACT and WorkKeys."

The test prep class was offered to students whose PLAN scores indicated that they were not "on track" to meet or exceed standards on the PSAE. The PLAN test itself is preparation for the ACT college entrance exam that also includes a Career Interest Inventory. The students in the test prep class were among those who took the PSAE last April and whose results were included in the data released last week.

As a result of not making AYP for the fourth year, ETHS will have to "take corrective action" under federal requirements. Corrective actions may include replacing staff; implementing a new curriculum; providing teacher professional development; decreasing the school's management authority; appointing an outside adviser; extending the school day or year; and/or restructuring the internal organization of the school. Parents and public must be informed of corrective actions.
The District has already instituted a number of programs to address the low performance of subgroups:
- Special workshops for teachers, especially in English and history in the literacy program
- Assessment tools to monitor performance of students in programs such as Project Excel and the Academy
- Expansion of the Read180 program
- Test preparation activities in all departments

Students who have not achieved credits required for a given grade level are now reclassified downward to the grade level reflected by their current credit status.

In addition, Dr. Laura Cooper, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction provided the Board with an overview of specific department plans for PSAE preparation. Proposed efforts include
- Integrating of ACT- and WorkKeys-style questions into ongoing assessments
- Using practice ACT tests and questions to provide feedback to students on how to improve their performances
- Providing support for teachers on how best to use KeyTrain software to prepare students for WorkKeys sections
- Continuing the test-prep course for selected juniors

Dr. Cooper said the focus must be kept on mathematics, which has already seen some progress. But, she said, "We need another major focus on literacy that extends well beyond the literacy program and the reading classes, because we have a significant number of students who are not improving their reading as they go through high school. We have more work to do."

The Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) is Illinois' measure for compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Each state sets its own measure.
The test is administered in April over two days to all 11th graders.
Day 1: ACT test (a college entrance exam) in reading, mathematics, English and science reasoning
Day 2: WorkKeys test (a test of workplace readiness) and state science test.
• PSAE reading and math scores are computed based on an equal weighting of ACT and WorkKeys. NCLB does not rate science proficiency.
• Students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and some special education students take the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) and the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA), respectively.
• Ninety-five percent of 11th graders in the school must take the PSAE.
• For 2006, 47.5 percent of all students and all subgroups must meet or exceed standards for grade level for the school to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
• Graduation rate must be at least 69 percent.
• Subgroups are: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Multiracial, Disabled, LEP, Economically Disadvantaged. Subgroups with less than 45 students are not reported.
• Safe Harbor: Exception to 47.5 percent guideline. Under "Safe Harbor" a school may still make AYP if each subgroup that fails to reach its proficiency performance targets reduces its percentage of students not meeting standards by 10 percent.

Disability Awareness at School for Little Children.

Disabilities, like children, come in many forms, and the youngsters at School for Little Children received a hands-on lesson about the challenges that some face in negotiating everyday life on "Difference Day" last month. Children visited four "disability stations," where they met a little girl with degenerative vision impairment and saw her Braille press, cane and Braille books. They listened to a simulated hearing-impairment tape, walked with walkers and leg-braces and learned some sign language. Teachers reported that the children seemed "genuinely impressed by many of these exercises and experiences and, hopefully, walked away with a better understanding of the challenges and triumphs of persons with disabilities." Photos courtesy of School for Little Children

Book Buddies Registration Open

Book Buddies, Covenant Nursery School's exclusive summer program, is now accepting applications for Summer 2007. Located at 1420 Maple Ave., this fun and educational program is designed to promote pre-literacy skills in children aged 3-5 years old. Children will explore classic and contemporary literature through hands-on art, drama, cooking activities and more.

Snack and outdoor playtime are included. Three summer sessions are offered with flexible days. Visit www.covenantnurseryschool.org and click on "Summer" to learn more or call Tina at 847-475-2990.

Bee Season at Kingsley

It's been a busy "bee" season at Kingsley School, and the results are now in for some heated contests in both the geography and spelling bees.

In the National Geography Bee, all fourth- and fifth-graders participated in the first rounds, with succeeding rounds narrowing the field to a final group of 16 students, which including fourth-graders Richard Adugba, Nathaniel Bernstein, Jack Caplan, Daniel de Lara and Zachary Moore and fifth-graders Abby Baum, Jack Blanchard, Ian Burke, Jamie Carthew, Healy Crews, Nicholas Eston, Henry Gruger, Schaefer Hugebeck, Shameeka Jones, Jeff Otte and Keeyan Rahman. Fifth-grader Ian Burke won the school geography bee, allowing him to move on to the state-level competition.

In this year's Kingsley Spelling Bee, 120 students participated, ending up with 10 students winning the honor of representing the school in the District's bee at Bessie Rhodes Magnet School last month: fourth-graders Joe Bricker, Jack Caplan, Daniel de Lara, Sam Evans, Jack Marchesi, Mark Roth, Nathan Umbanhowar and Aidan Walsh; and fifth-graders Christine Broughton and Eileen Conroy. In addition, ten other Kingsley students who placed in the top 20 spellers were in attendance at the bee. Cheering their fellow Kingsley spellers on were third-graders Elizabeth Baker, Lily Jones, Beth Parcell and Caroline Moore and fourth-graders Richard Adugba, Nathaniel Bernstein, Rebecca Conover, Julia Freeman, Maliki Pratt and Tessa Singer. The District spelling bee included both elementary and middle school students.

Fourth-grader Nathan Umbanhowar captured first place in the District spelling bee and moved on to the Cook County Regional Bee, competing against other spellers from the Northern Suburbs of the County. Nathan earned the honor of being the first non-middle-school-aged student to win the District bee since multiple schools began competing.