Cost of Educating Kids in Evanston

An analysis conducted by the Chicago Reporter reflects that Evanston School District 65 spent a cumulative amount of $129,198 per student in the period 1998-2007, which encompasses a kindergarten through eighth grade education. This amounts to an average of $14,355 per year. District 65 had the nineteenth highest per pupil spending rate in the State among 755 elementary and unit school districts.

ETHS spent a cumulative amount of $69,492 per pupil during the period 2003-2007, which encompasses a freshman through senior year education. This amounts to an average of $17,373 per year. ETHS had the second highest per pupil spending rate in the State among 102 high school districts.

The Chicago Reporter also compared the amount to educate students in Evanston versus the amount spent in Chicago. The Reporter concluded, "The 6,413 students who started elementary school in Evanston in 1994 and graduated from high school in 2007 had about $290 million more spent on their education than the same number of Chicago Public Schools students." On average, Evanston spent about $45,000 more per student than the Chicago Public Schools to educate a student from kindergarten through senior year high school.

On Aug. 20 the Chicago Urban League and the Quad County Urban League filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County alleging that the State's method for raising and distributing education funds to local school districts disparately impacts racial and ethnic minority students in violation of the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003 and provisions of the Illinois Constitution.

"Illinois ranks 49th in the nation for the funding gap between rich and poor students, and white and minority students," said Mary Ellen Guest, campaign manager of A+ Illinois, the state's leading advocate for improved school quality and funding.

D202 Board Discusses Survey, Changes in Senior English

By Jennie Berkson

Discussion of the new mixed-level Senior English class continued at the Sept. 22 School Board meeting with an after-the-fact presentation of the rationale for the move, including the results of a survey administered to participants in the pilot program of the course last year.

The mixed-level Senior English class prompted some controversy when it was broadly implemented by department chair Judith Ruhana this year without prior discussion with parents, students, the School Board or Superintendent Eric Witherspoon. A pilot program of eight mixed-level classes was conducted last year.  That program was expanded this year to include all seniors not taking AP English or English electives.  Students who thought they had registered for stand-alone honors or regular-level classes were included and only informed of the change during the first week of school.  A similar program for Freshman Humanities implemented this year received substantial review at Board meetings and in public forums last spring.

After parent Libby Ester focused attention on the implementation during public comment at the Sept. 8 Board meeting, Dr. Witherspoon told the RoundTable that "there should have been opportunities for public discussion about changes in Senior English, and changes should have been communicated to parents and students sooner.  I have taken steps to make sure that in the future, chairs follow our established process for making any significant changes in their department."

 Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Laura Cooper, who worked with Ms. Ruhana on the mixed-level class, told the Board at their meeting on Sept. 22 that the reason for the change in Senior English was consistent with reasons for the change in Freshman Humanities -- "that we restructure this high school ... to ensure that all of our students, particularly our students of color, will be able to make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) in the future."  She added, "We are responding to the Board's expectations that we move more students of color ... to have access to honors curriculum."

Dr. Cooper further emphasized the importance of the mixed-level classes by acknowledging that "even with efforts we have made to dramatically increase rigor in regular-level classes, we have not seen improvement in achievement.  We need to try other things ... (including) an increase in the number of students in mixed-level classes."

Finally, Dr. Cooper said the mixed-level classes would provide all students with "college readiness," because "virtually of our students are going to post-secondary training, whether it be two-year college or four-year college."

The decision to expand the program was based on what administrators termed a "successful" pilot consisting of 187 students in eight classes.  Dr. Cooper acknowledged that "we did not see significant differences in grades achieved" between students in the mixed-level classes and those in the classes with separated levels.

However, Dr. Cooper did report on a survey that was administered to the participants in the mixed-level classes last spring.  She said 75 percent of students completed the survey, which was both quantitative and qualitative in nature.  She summarized both the quantitative and the qualitative results for the Board.

Although the public did not receive copies of the survey or its results at the Board meeting, as has been the case with previous analyses, the RoundTable obtained the quantitative results from administrators.

Demographics
The demographics for the mixed level pilots were as follows: 
White, 35%; Black, 38%; Native American 1%; Asian  8%;  Hispanic, 11%;  Multiracial 7%.
According to the ETHS website, District 202's enrollment demographics are as follows: White, 47.4%; Black, 36.3%; Native American, .1%; Asian, 3.1%; Hispanic, 10.7% Multiracial, 2.9

Choice of Level
In a mixed-level class, students are permitted to change the level, regular or honors, in which they wish to be placed.  Administration officials often say mixed classes encourage more students to choose honors-level work.  However, this was not the case with the pilot.

According to the survey, when students first registered for the class, 30 percent of them registered for regular and 70 percent for honors credit.  At the end of first semester 47 percent were registered for regular-level and only 53 percent for honors-level credit.  Dr. Cooper attributed some of this trend to "senioritis."  In addition, Dr. Cooper said the honors-level credit had required a portfolio that "didn't work so well".

Challenge
Students were asked, "How challenging would you rate your English class this year?"
Not at all challenging                          2%
Only a little challenging            22%
Somewhat challenging                        53%
Very challenging                        23%

Effort
Students were asked, "How would you rate the effort you put forth for this English class?"
None at all                                      1%
Small                                                18%
Medium                                    54%
Big                                                27%

They were also asked, "Compared to your junior English course (which could have been a straight honors or regular class, although those respondents were not identified) did this course require..."
Less effort                                    18%
Same effort                                    36%
More effort                                    47%

Board member Margaret Lurie asked if Dr. Cooper felt satisfied that honors students were sufficiently challenged in this class. 

"I think we need to keep looking at that," said Dr. Cooper.  "All of the students need to be challenged to go deeper."

Future offerings
Finally, students were asked if the course should be offered again as a mixed-level class.
Yes                        83%
No                        17%

Ms. Lurie commented that "whenever it (the advantages of mixed-level classes) is presented, it's presented as something that is good for the low-achieving students.  I just wanted to know what's in it for the high-achieving students."

"It comes up a lot, whether or not high-achieving students will lose something as a result of being in a mixed class," said President Martha Burns.  "I think they gain something in terms of the rich discussion that takes place in terms of broadening their perspective."

Dr. Cooper remarked that "many of the students" did mention "the value of the diversity of the class" in their qualitative responses to the survey.

PTSA to Sponsor Forum on Mixed Level Classes

The ETHS PTSA will host a program at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 on "Mixed-Level and Honors-Only Classes at ETHS:  The Past, The Present and The Future."

PTSA Co-President Deborah Graham told the RoundTable she hoped the meeting would provide information and an opportunity for communication.  "There have been so many curriculum changes at ETHS recently that we wanted to provide an opportunity for parents to become more informed and also to provide input."

 This community forum will feature ETHS Superintendent Eric Witherspoon and other ETHS faculty who will discuss the history of mixed-level classes and honors-only classes at ETHS (including research/data supporting the recent expansion of mixed-level classes); the current status of mixed-level and honors-only classes at ETHS (including the implementation of changes made this year to freshman humanities classes); and plans for the future. 

Parents and other attendees will be able to ask questions of Dr. Witherspoon and other ETHS administrators and will have a chance to share their own experiences and perspectives.

The program will be held in Room A241 at ETHS.

District 202 Board Reviews Fundraising Procedures

By Jennie Berkson

Paving the way for expanded revenue generating possibilities, the District 202 school board considered procedures that would govern corporate partnerships as well as naming and gift recognition.

"Corporate partnerships might lend a real good opportunity for us to bring in some revenue annually that could really support facilities and programs," said Superintendent Eric Witherspoon. "We're trying not to put a further responsibility on the taxpayer but to augment and supplement what our taxpayers are so generously doing in the school district."

Dr. Witherspoon explained that "because we'd really like to get rolling on this and get some money this year" he hoped that the Board would review the proposed procedures and bring the item back for a vote on October 14.

The procedures were drafted by William Stafford, Chief Financial Officer, Frances Caan, Director of Development and Chris Livatino, Athletic Director.

"A corporate sponsorship is an agreement between Evanston Township High School District 202 and an individual, a group, company or community based-organization in which the sponsor provides financial support or in-kind gifts in exchange for donor recognition," according to the report.

Mr. Stafford pointed out that "religious and political organizations; or companies whose business is substantially derived from the sale of alcohol, tobacco, firearms or pornography would not be eligible for corporate sponsorships."

The procedure for gift recognition and naming is separate from corporate sponsorship.  The report outlined several possible forms of recognition: a gift recognition wall and plaque displays; facilities naming; areas within facilities naming; endowment gifts; gifts of equipment and gifts in kind; giving society memberships and publications.

D202 Board Passes $61 Million 2008-09 Budget

The District 202 School Board unanimously approved a balanced budget of slightly over $61 million at their meeting on Sept. 22.

"We're in good shape, because we're providing you with a balanced budget this year," Chief Financial Officer William Stafford told the Board at the budget hearing on Sept. 8, "but that being said, we have a pretty rough economy we're looking at, and there are going to be some consequences relative to that. If it's a year or two, we'll still be in pretty good shape, but if it stays for more than a year, we're definitely going to have some issues."

Also at the meeting, David Futransky, ETHS history teacher and president of the Teachers' Council, commended the administration and the Board for a budget that "is clearly understandable and easy to follow."  He also remarked that "the long-term health of the District requires that care be given to avoid large deficits and that waste and redundancy be eliminated." 

Mr. Futransky then cautioned the Board to "look long and hard at the impact on students if class size begins to creep up (as a result of future budget cuts)."  He referred to the increasing use of mixed-level classes at ETHS, requiring differentiated teaching strategies.  "Those strategies will be most effective when the class sizes are manageable."

Because public notice was not given 30 days before the Sept. 8 meeting, there will be an additional hearing on Oct. 14.  The budget could be amended at that time if necessary.

Pancake Breakfast Starts Homecoming Day

Evanston Township High School will hold its 2008 Homecoming on Oct. 11. Students, faculty and alums can start their Wildkit celebration with a pancake breakfast, sponsored by the ETHS Boosters Club as part of the school's yearlong commemoration of its 125th anniversary.

For a $5 ticket, hungry Wilkit fans can feast on pancakes, sausage, applesauce, beverages and all the trimmings. The breakfast will run from 8 to 11 a.m. in the Beardsley Cafeteria. The ETHS Marching Band will provide musical entertainment. Fans can then march across to the football stadium and cheer on the ETHS teams as they play Niles West (sophomores at 11 a.m., varsity at 1:30 p.m.).

Bring the whole family, and be sure to wear your Wildkit orange and blue!

Highest Gains for African-American Students

School District 65 Shows Gains on 2008 ISATs

By Larry Gavin

School District 65 students showed gains on the 2008 Illinois Standard Achievement Tests, ISATs, according to results reported to the School Board at its Sept. 22 meeting. On a combined basis, the percent of students who met or exceeded standards on the 2008 ISATs was 86.5%, up from 85.4% in the prior year.
On a Statewide basis, 79.1% of the students met or exceeded standards on the 2008 ISATs, compared to 78.7% in the prior year.

Superintendent Hardy Murphy said in a report to the Board, "The most significant growth is seen with our African-American students, where the percent of students meeting and exceeding state standards [in reading] shows a five-point gain, from 69% in 2007 to more than 74% in 2008."

The long-term trend is more dramatic. On a combined basis, the percentage of African-American students in District 65 meeting or exceeding standards in reading and math on the ISATs has increased from 47% in 2003 to 78% in 2008, a 31-point gain. On a statewide basis, African-American students increased from 38% on the 2003 ISATs to 62% on the 2008 ISATs, a 24-point gain.

While Hispanic students and students with a limited proficiency in English (LEP students) made substantial gains between 2003 and 2007, their average scores dropped substantially on the 2008 ISATs because of a change in the tests given to LEP students.

Paul Brinson, chief information officer for the District, reported that the achievement gap has also narrowed for Hispanic students, low-income students, students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP), and LEP students. Mr. Brinson presented data showing that the percentage of students in these groups who have met or exceeded standards on the ISATs in the last six years has increased by between 50 and 100%.

 "Students who traditionally struggle in public education are doing significantly better," Dr. Murphy said. However, those students who have traditionally fared well are still excelling. There were almost 89% of District 65's white students meeting or exceeding state standards in 2003. Today we report 97% meeting or exceeding state standards."

"These accomplishments warrant our celebrating the commitment, professionalism and quality of the schooling that our District and staff provide all of the students in District 65," said Dr. Murphy. "The District's success may be attributed to the commitment of its teachers, principals, staff and students and the continued implementation of innovative programs and initiatives to support teaching and improve instruction."

Reading Scores
On a combined basis, the percent of students who met or exceeded standards in reading on the 2008 ISATs was 84%, up from 83% in the prior year. The percent of third-graders meeting or exceeding standards dropped five points, but there were increases or an unremarkable decline in all other grade levels.

African-American students showed the largest gains in reading scores, on top of big gains in the prior two years. On a combined basis, the percent of African- American students who met or exceeded standards in reading increased from 69% in 2007 to 74% in 2008, an increase of 5 percentage points. African-American students dropped three percentage points in reading at the third grade level, but Mr. Brinson noted that African-American students showed a 12-point gain at the fourth-grade level and 10-point gains in other grade levels.

The percent of Hispanic students meeting or exceeding standards in reading decreased from 78% in 2007 to 68% in 2008, a 10 % decline. The biggest decline was in third grade, where the percent of Hispanic students meeting or exceeding standards on the ISATs declined from 91% in 2007 to 51% in 2008. Mr. Brinson said the decline was due to a new federally mandated requirement that LEP students (i.e. those with limited proficiency in English) take the ISATs, with accommodations, rather than the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth (IMAGE) test. The IMAGE test had previously been given to students who were enrolled in a transitional bilingual program for less than three years and were unable to take the ISATs due to their lack of proficiency in English. If the scores of LEP students are excluded from the analysis, 86% of Hispanic students met or exceeded standards in reading, said Mr. Brinson.

The scores of LEP students, who were required to take the ISATs, also showed substantial declines. On a combined basis, the percentage of LEP students meeting standards in reading dropped from 71% in 2007 to 49% in 2008, a drop of 22 percentage points. The results for LEP students dropped across the state due to the change in tests given to these students. One of the goals adopted by the Board on Sept. 22 is to accelerate English language instruction for Hispanic students.

Students with an IEP showed a slight increase. The percent of IEP students meeting or exceeding standards in reading increased from 49% in 2007 to 51% in 2008. The District has focused on improving services to IEP students in the last several years and is continuing intitiatives to instruct IEP students in the general education classroom, with supports, to the maximum extent possible.

Asian and white students continued to do well in reading on the ISATs, with 92% of Asian students meeting standards, down from 93% in the prior year, and 97% of white students meeting standards, the same as in the prior year.

 Between 1999 and 2003, students' progress on the ISATs in reading was generally flat, but between 2003 and 2007 there have been substantial gains. Mr. Brinson said, "There has been an increase in achievement for African-American students from 43% to more than 74% meeting or exceeding standards [in reading] from 2003 to 2008, a 71% increase." He added, "More than 50% of students with IEPs met or exceeded standards, more than a 100% increase over 2003."

 The accompanying table shows the percent of students, by subgroup, who met or exceeded standards in reading on 2003-2008 ISATs.

Math Scores
The District adopted the "everyday math" program in 1998-99. Since then, the percentage of District 65 students that has met standards in math has steadily increased. On the 1999 ISATs, 62% of the District's students met standards in math; the percentage grew to 90% on the 2008 ISATs, or an increase of 28 percentage points over ten years. "The District's mathematics instruction continues to yield exceptional levels of student achievement for all District 65 students," said Dr. Murphy.

The long-term trend for African- American students shows substantial improvement. For example, the percent of African-American students meeting standards in math increased from 38% on the 1999 ISATs to 82% on the 2008 ISATs, an increase of 44 percentage points over ten years.

On the 2008 ISATs, the percent of the District's students who met or exceeded State standards on math by subgroup were as follows: Black - 82%, up 1 percentage point from the prior year; Hispanic - 84%, up 1 point; Asian - 96%, up 1 point;  white - 98%, same; IEP - 64%, up 1 point; LEP - 77%, up 5 points.

The accompanying table shows the percent of students who met or exceeded standards in math on the 2003-2008 ISATs.

Percent of Students Exceeding
The percent of District 65 students who "exceed" state standards has likewise increased over time. On a combined basis, the percentage of students in the "exceeds" category increased in reading from 29% on the 2003 ISATs to 38% on the 2008 ISATs. In math the increase went from 31% on the 2003 ISATs to 47% on the 2008 ISATs.

The percent of students in the "exceeds" category, however, drops substantially between third and eighth grade. On the 2008 ISATs, 40% of the District's third-graders exceeded standards in reading and 56% in math; 17% of the District's eighth-graders exceeded standards in reading and 43% in math. There are similar drops on a statewide basis.

Meeting AYP/School Data
This year 62.5% of the District's students in each subgroup (i.e. white, black, Hispanic, Asian, LEP, IEP and low-income) were required to meet or exceed standards on the ISATs to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act. The District failed to meet AYP in reading for LEP and IEP students, but met AYP in all other categories.

Mr. Brinson reported that three schools failed to meet AYP: Washington failed to meet AYP in reading for Hispanic and LEP students, and Haven and Nichols failed to meet AYP in reading for IEP students.

Test results at the District's schools varies. At Willard 96% of the students met or exceeded standards on the ISATs; at Oakton, the percentage was 73%. For African-American students, 85% met or exceeded standards in reading at Dr. Bessie Rhodes School; at Oakton, the percentage was 65%. Oakton showed the highest overall gain, with an increase of 4 percentage points over the prior year's score.

*A number of changes were made to the 2006 ISATs, which some critics say are responsible for or contribute to the higher scores: a) The State Board of Education sharply lowered the bar for eighth graders to meet standards in math on the 2006 ISATs; b) Students were given an extra 10 minutes per reading and math section; c) New questions were prepared by a new contractor; d) a new answer sheet made it more difficult to place answers in the wrong spot. State officials say a study was conducted to ensure uniformity of the tests. On the 2008 ISATs, limited-English proficient (LEP) students were required to take the ISATs, with accommodations, rather than taking the IMAGE test, which caused drops in scores of all subgroups containing LEP students.

D65 Adopts $91.2 Million Operating Budget for 2008-09

By Larry Gavin

The District 65 School Board adopted a final budget for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, at its Sept. 22 meeting. Operating revenues are projected at $91.4 million, up 1.8 percent over the prior year. Operating expenses are projected at $91.2 million, up 2.8 percent over the prior year. The budget shows an operating surplus of $214,647 for the year.

A number of adjustments were made after the Board approved a tentative budget on Aug. 18 to reflect additional revenues from property taxes, interest income and state grants and a number of increased expenses. The net amount of the adjustments increased the projected operating surplus for the year by $35,950.

The budget will likely need to be adjusted as the year progresses because a collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the teachers and other employee groups, and thus the amount the District will pay for salaries, which accounts for 68 percent of operating expenses, has not yet been settled. Kathy Zalewski, the District's comptroller, said the budget assumes that teacher salaries will increase by 3.7 percent. The last publicly disclosed offer made by the School Board to the teachers union was to increase teacher salaries next year by an average of 5.7 percent. Ms. Zalewski said budget amendments may be necessary after collective bargaining agreements are reached with the teachers and other employee unions.

The District is also budgeting $25 million for capital projects, including technology, and to service the District's debt obligations. The total budget for operations and capital projects is $116.3 million.

The District projects it will end the year with $20.8 million in its operating funds, or enough to cover about 83 days of operating expenses.

For more information concerning budget assumptions and expenditures by function, see the Aug. 20  issue of the RoundTable.

D65 School Board Approves Three-Year Plan

By Larry Gavin

On Sept. 22, the District 65 School Board approved a three-year plan containing three goals and numerous strategies to improve academic achievement, improve the District's facilities and maintain financial solvency. The plan brings together in one document many of the strategies the District has implemented in the past few years to improve student achievement. The plan makes some revisions to the draft presented to the Board on Aug. 18 (reported in the Sept. 3 issue of the RoundTable), but the gist remains the same.

The plan continues an effort to consolidate as much learning as possible into the general education classroom. Many of the strategies proposed are geared to assist teachers to instruct a diverse group of students, including students with a disability, in the general education classroom and have been recommended in reports or plans previously approved by the Board.

Some of the strategies to improve student achievement are to expand the District's pre-K programs for at-risk students, to use data to identify at-risk students at an early stage and to develop and implement early interventions for those students, to push in supports for struggling students rather than pulling those students out of the classroom for interventions, to expand the use of co-teachers in the classroom, to implement programs designed to assist students who are one or two years below grade level, to develop materials to assist teachers to differentiate instruction, to provide training to teachers to effectively differentiate instruction, to require struggling students to attend before- or after-school programs, and to create more effective parent-school partnerships.

The three-year plan also contemplates that each school will create an array of academic co-curricular and extra-curricular enrichment activities. In line with the recommendations of the Differentiation and Enrichment Study Committee, the District plans to use differentiated instruction to challenge advanced learners in the classroom.

A substantial part of the discussion on Sept. 22 centered on the phrasing of a goal to "Reduce the number of students referred and/or identified for special education." Several Board members were concerned that the phrasing could be misconstrued to deprive students who were in need of special education services of those services. Administrators said the goal was to design and implement early interventions for at-risk students so they would not need special services later on.

When the Board was first presented with the three-year plan on Aug. 18, several Board members raised concerns that adopting the three-year plan might co-opt the work of the District's Strategic Planning Committee, which has been preparing a draft five-year strategic plan for the District. The Strategic Planning Committee approved a draft of a five-year strategic plan on Sept. 13 (reported in the Sept. 17 issue of the RoundTable), and is scheduled to hold a series of public hearings in October on the draft before making its final recommendation to the School Board.

In urging the Board to adopt the three-year plan, Dr. Murphy said, "These goals were developed from the framework of the long-range strategic planning committee vision for continuing District improvements in the areas of academics, finances and facilities." He added, "We absolutely think that these strategies are the ones we should focus on and that we should use to drive our instructional program."

School Board members were enthusiastic about the three-year plan. Andrew Pigozzi said, "I read it through last night. I love it. Everything in here is what I feel needs to be addressed and improved upon."

Mary Rita Luecke said, "I think the three-year goals are very comprehensive in incorporating the things we've been working on over the last three years. I appreciate the emphasis on supporting students who are at risk of failing, not just those who are already failing, so that we support them before that happens."

 "I like the idea that a lot of reports were used as a base for this," Board president Mary Erickson said. "The administration did a good job on linking the goals to the strategic plan that we have been working on."

The Board voted 5-0 to approve the three-year plan. Board members Katie Bailey and Bonnie Lockhart were absent.
Public Hearings on  D65 Strategic Plan

The District 65 Strategic Planning Committee has scheduled four town hall meetings to gather community input on a draft five-year strategic plan (reported in the Sept. 17 issue of the RoundTable). The meetings are each scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. as follows: Oct. 16 at Nichols Middle School; Oct. 22 at Haven Middle School; Oct. 28 at Chute Middle School; and Oct. 30 at King Lab Magnet School.

The plan contains a proposed mission statement, a statement of core values, a vision statement, and goals to prioritize the District's focus during the next five years. Copies of the draft Strategic Plan are available at the Joseph E. Hill Education Center, at the District's schools, and on the Strategic Plan page of the District's website www.district65.net.