District 88 shares highlights of 2018 Illinois School Report Card

Pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton.

For about the last seven weeks, we’ve met with multiple District 88 stakeholder groups as we update our Strategic Plan to retool and enhance the district’s existing 2010 plan.

We’ve heard from more than 400 people (staff, parents/guardians, students and community members) through this process, and it has been a tremendous opportunity to have great conversation about the future direction of our schools. I would like to personally thank all those who attended our Strategic Plan Focus Groups, and we will use the feedback, input and data gathered to ensure our Strategic Plan continues to guide us in accomplishing our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement. Stay tuned, as we will share information about the updates that will be made to the District 88 Strategic Plan. For more details, go to www.dupage88.net/StrategicPlan2018.

EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT (ESSA)
When looking at District 88’s current Strategic Plan from 2010, our Board of Education, administration and stakeholders knew the value of including multiple measures to ensure student growth and achievement. As a result, our vision and goals are very much aligned with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was implemented this year for the first time and is reflected on the Illinois School Report Card that was released on Oct. 30.

In 2015, the ESSA was passed as a new education law that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the U.S. national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students. The previous version of the law was the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which was enacted in 2002. For more information about the ESSA, go to www.dupage88.net/StrategicPlan2018.

The image below shows District 88’s alignment to the ESSA (click to enlarge the image).

DISTRICT 88 2018 ILLINOIS SCHOOL REPORT CARD HIGHLIGHTS
ESSA designation: The ESSA uses multiple measures (referred to as indicators) to evaluate schools. Each individual school (rather than the overall district) is rated on those indicators and then placed into one of four categories (referred to as designations). Those designations are:

  • Exemplary School
  • Commendable School
  • Underperforming School
  • Lowest-Performing School

We are proud to share Addison Trail and Willowbrook are rated as “Commendable Schools,” and we look forward to continuing to improve. We know this success is a reflection of our knowledgeable and dedicated Board of Education members, committed and passionate staff members, motivated and engaged students and involved and supportive parents/guardians and community members.

For the 2018 Illinois School Report Card, the following indicators were used to evaluate high schools.

  • Graduation rate: 50 percent
  • English Language Arts (ELA) Proficiency on the SAT: 10 percent (will be decreased to 7.5 percent in 2019-20)
  • Math Proficiency on the SAT: 10 percent (will be decreased to 7.5 percent in 2019-20)
  • Chronic Absenteeism: 7.5 percent (will be decreased in 2021-22)
  • Freshmen on Track to Graduate: 6.25 percent
  • College and Career Readiness: 6.25 percent
  • English Learner Progress: 5 percent
  • Climate Survey: 5 percent
    • District 88 joins the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) each year in implementing the Illinois 5Essentials, a statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions. The survey provides an opportunity for teachers, students and parents/guardians to have a voice in improving their schools. It gives a comprehensive picture of a school’s organizational culture in an individualized report that measures five “essentials” critical for school success (Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environment and Ambitious Instruction). Survey results are included in the Illinois School Report Card. District 88 has voluntarily participated in the 5Essentials each year since the survey was implemented in 2012-13. As a district, we truly value receiving input and feedback from our stakeholders and continuously work to improve the school climate to provide students with a high-quality and comprehensive educational experience.
  • Science Proficiency and Fine Arts: Planned to be implemented in future years

Graduation rate: District 88’s 4-year, 5-year and 6-year graduation rates remain above the state level. For 2018, our 4-year graduation rate is 86.5 percent (compared to the state’s 85.4 percent), our 5-year graduation rate is 90.5 percent (compared to the state’s 87.6 percent) and our 6-year graduation rate is 91.0 percent (compared to the state’s 87.7 percent).

Freshmen on Track: District 88 also remains above the state level in terms of the number of freshmen who are on track to graduate from high school, and we have been above the state level since this measure was implemented. For 2018, 87.2 percent of our freshmen are on track (compared to the state’s 86.8 percent).

College enrollment: District 88 is above the state level with regard to the number of students who are enrolled in college 12 months and 16 months after graduating from high school. The 2018 report card reflects data from the class of 2016, and 79.7 percent of District 88 students from that class were enrolled in college 12 months after graduating (compared to the state’s 74.8 percent). And 80.1 percent of District 88 students were enrolled after 16 months (compared to the state’s 75.7 percent). Our focus is to prepare students for post-high school success, and these numbers show our pupils are achieving their goal of attending college. We are proud so many of our students are pursuing a college degree and furthering their education.

Advanced Placement, dual-credit and career certifications and extracurricular involvement:

  • During the 2017-18 school year, District 88 had a record number of students enroll in Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level courses at nearly 1,500. Those classes provide an opportunity for students to earn college credit while in high school. We also had a record number of students take an AP exam (970) and earn a score of 3 or higher (which is the score required to earn college credit).
  • During the 2017-18 school year, District 88 students received 2,471 dual-credit hours, which is another opportunity for students to earn college credit while in high school.
  • During the 2017-18 school year, District 88 students earned 967 career certifications.
  • During the 2017-18 school year, 1,427 District 88 students participated in 3,047 workplace experiences.
  • About 2/3 of District 88 students participate in a sport, club or activity.

SAT exam:

  • District 88 students are nearing the state performance levels in English Language Arts (ELA) and math in the meets and exceeds standards categories. We are committed to providing our students with a high-quality education and ensuring they are college and career ready, and we will continue to look at ways to enhance student learning.
  • The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) set a minimum SAT proficiency score of 540 in the math portion of the exam, as well as in the reading and writing section. However, the national proficiency score set by College Board is 530 in math and 480 in reading and writing.
  • At Addison Trail, 84 percent of students met or exceeded their growth target in math from the Pre-SAT (PSAT) 10 to the SAT. And 79 percent met or exceeded their growth target in ELA.
  • At Willowbrook, 85 percent of students met or exceeded their growth target in math from the PSAT 10 to the SAT. And 81 percent met or exceeded their growth target in ELA.

Chronic absenteeism: We know the importance of having students in school to ensure they are successful inside the classroom and beyond. Students who have 10 percent or more of excused and unexcused absences in the prior academic year are considered to have “chronic absenteeism.” For 2018, nearly 80 percent of District 88 students didn’t fall into this category (meaning they were not chronically absent), and we appreciate the dedication and commitment of our pupils and their parents/guardians to ensure they attend school.

To see the complete Illinois School Report Cards for District 88 and its two high schools (Addison Trail and Willowbrook), go to www.illinoisreportcard.com.

Our focus will remain on developing the whole student and providing a comprehensive educational experience to grow each individual. Thank you for your support of District 88.

 

Respectfully,

Scott J. Helton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools, DuPage High School District 88