District 88 shares important information regarding assessments for 2016-17 school year

At District 88, we are proud to offer students a comprehensive high school experience.

While academics are a top priority, we also focus on all aspects of providing a high-quality educational environment to help each student succeed inside the classroom and beyond. We regularly monitor individual student growth to ensure each child reaches his or her full potential. Part of that process includes administering state-required assessments.

As we recently shared, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced in July it will no longer require high schools to administer the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam as the state test to evaluate students. ISBE will instead provide the College Board’s SAT exam, including a writing component, at no cost to all public high school juniors during the 2016-17 school year. The SAT aligns with the Illinois Learning Standards and provides a college-reportable score for admissions purposes. This means Illinois high schools will transition from the ACT to the SAT as the state assessment.

According to ISBE, "The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a bipartisan measure signed into law … on Dec. 10, 2015, focuses on the goal of fully preparing students for success in college and careers. In the course of developing a state plan for ESSA, ISBE has conducted listening tours to obtain insight from stakeholders, including students, parents, schools, districts, educators, administrators, exclusive bargaining representatives, advocacy groups and other interested parties. Stakeholders overwhelmingly emphasized the need for equitable access to a college entrance exam for all students. They also stressed the amount of testing time and the number of assessments administered to students need to be reduced.” ISBE, with assistance from Regional Offices of Education, will host a second listening tour to collect feedback on the ESSA. Thirteen meetings are planned between Sept. 6 and 28. For tour details, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/public/files/?item=3027.

District 88 is committed to making sure students are prepared for the SAT and will provide pre-SAT assessments (called the PSAT) for freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Below are the testing dates for the 2016-17 school year.

After each student completes a PSAT or SAT assessment, he or she will receive a score report that outlines the student’s strengths and areas for improvement through an online portal with the College Board (creator of the PSAT and SAT assessments) and an overview of the student’s college and career readiness. Also through the College Board account, each student will receive individualized tutorials from Khan Academy on how to improve in his or her areas of growth. For more information about assessments at District 88, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/20.

The class of 2016 was the last group of Illinois high school students that will take the ACT, and ACT’s annual score report – “The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2016” – shows Illinois’ graduating seniors achieved an average composite score of 20.8 (36 is the highest possible score), an increase of 0.1 over last year’s score. The national average composite score on the ACT decreased from 21.0 to 20.8. Illinois’ graduating seniors held steady for the percentage of students who meet each of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores in English, math, reading and science, while comparable national figures declined. A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50-percent chance of earning a B or higher or about a 75-percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in a corresponding credit-bearing college course. Those courses include English composition, algebra, social science and biology. District 88 saw an increase in the percentage of students ready for college-level coursework in algebra, social science, biology and in meeting all four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.

Thank you for your continued support of District 88, and we look forward to a great 2016-17 school year.