Some veteran educators in Evergreen Park and Oak Lawn agree these are times when standardized tests are a major measure of student performance and progress; such tests have their place, they say, but their children’s progress and potential are often greater than scores indicate.
“The current trend and pressure to meet standardized test scores is good and bad,” said Craig Fiegel, superintendent of Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124, who has 19 years of administrative experience, most of that in Lawrence and Goddard, Kan. “We should have high expectations. But test scores don’t tell it all. I don’t think we should teach just for a test.”
District 124 includes four elementary schools with pupils in kindergarten through 6th grade, one junior high and three preschools.
Tom Hernandez, spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Education, said there is a strong need for standardized tests to ensure quality education for all students in the state.
“There are 895 districts in the state, which means there were a wide range of interpretations as far as what the [learning] goals meant. Knowing how to read [is] one goal,” Hernandez said. “Prior to our clarifying learning goals with standards, one school might interpret knowing how to read as recognizing a stop sign. Another might see it as interpreting Dostoyevsky. “
Pupils in the 3rd through 8th grades will take the ISAT this school year, a task for which area districts are preparing.
“The challenge is how to help high achievers keep moving and get slow students up to speed,” Fiegel said.
In District 124, 71 percent of 3rd graders who took the ISAT in February met or surpassed state standards in reading. They performed even better in math and writing, with 83 percent and 88 percent, respectively, meeting or exceeding expectations in those skill areas.
Fiegel attributes his pupils’ success on the ISAT to an emphasis on reading, which runs across the curriculum.
“We don’t ignore other basic skills. … Research shows reading is key to kids’ success,” he said.
The work being done in Fiegel’s district recently was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, which awarded a Blue Ribbon to Central Junior High School, an accolade given to schools that excel in curriculum, staff development, and community and parent involvement.
At the high school level, the ISAT is being replaced with the Prairie State Achievement Exam, to be given to high school juniors for the first time in April.
The Prairie State Achievement Exam will include the standard ACT and workplace-related tests in math and reading, as well as a separate Illinois-standards section, including a written essay and content questions on science and social studies.
Though the Prairie State exam is new this year, students have used the ACT as a college entrance exam for years, to measure student mastery of core subjects such as English, math, science and social studies. Frank McKinzie, superintendent of Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, said his district is always looking at ways to align what is taught with ACT skill areas.
Oak Lawn High School students prepare for the ACT in an after-school course called Excel Edge. Students who score at or above the state average of 21 on the ACT will be refunded the test fee. Even students who score below ACT averages will be partially reimbursed if they have taken core classes.
“We try to put our money where our mouth is. Kids who take AP [advanced placement] courses [and] get [a score of ] 3 or higher will be reimbursed for the costs of taking the tests” as well, McKinzie said.
Oak Lawn High School offers AP college-level courses in calculus, English and biology, giving students a chance to earn college credit in high school.
Besides test prep, local districts are offering programming to support students from preschool through high school.
In Oak Lawn-Hometown Elementary School District 123, Supt. James Paziotopoulos oversees about 2,800 pupils who attend one of four elementary schools and one junior high school in Oak Lawn.
His district emphasizes early intervention, offering special early childhood classes for 3- and 4-year-olds with special needs or disabilities in addition to a regular preschool curriculum.
“We feel that by reaching these kids at an early stage, [we’re] able to reduce the frustration they often feel when merging with the mainstream [classes],” Paziotopoulos said. “This also reduces failure.”
Paziotopoulos agrees with Fiegel’s emphasis on the importance of reading.
Prior to starting 1st grade, for example, his district’s kindergartners are assessed on their mastery of skills such as phonics necessary to handle the next level’s reading activities. Those who score in the lowest 25 percent are tested again in 1st grade for possible participation in the Reading Recovery program, which matches teachers to no more than four pupils at a time for intensive tutoring.
As students progress, the value of reading well continues, especially at Harold L. Richards High School, part of Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn. Richards Principal Dan McAllister and teachers made reading enhancement and appreciation a goal in planning for a review this November by the North Central Commission. The commission renews high school accreditations annually and reviews school improvement plans every five years.
To satisfy that goal, Richards’ teachers trained to improve their students’ comprehension skills and appreciation for a good read. Every Wednesday during second period, students and staff have about 15 minutes of silence to read whatever they wish.
“We know our kids are achieving, but we also want them to enjoy and increase their comprehension,” said McAllister.
Lessons that live and breathe are priorities for Districts 123 in Oak Lawn and 231 in Evergreen Park.
District 123’s Brandt Science Center allows elementary pupils in kindergarten through 6th grade to sink their fingers and toes into astrology, anatomy and earth sciences. Once or twice monthly, pupils are bused to the center, where they experience concepts they are introduced to in their daily science classes. Pupils studying plant germination in class experiment and observe the process at the center. Those learning patterns in moon formation can see the various stages in the center’s Star Lab.
Evergreen Park High School Principal Ron E. Helms was attracted to the school because of its wide array of vocational and life-skills programs. In addition to wood shop, auto shop and business courses, the school has a roster of “real-life” courses, including Lions Quest Service and a class for budding entrepreneurs.
In the entrepreneurial class, students run the school store, called Mustang Limited, selling decals, T-shirts and school paraphernalia.
“[Students] do the budgeting, the marketing and the maintenance,” he said.
In the Lions Quest class, students learn how to give back to the community, participating in projects such as computer literacy classes for seniors and a volleyball game fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
“It’s our goal that students attending EPHS leave here with a plan for a higher education or a career,” Helms said. “We want them to be prepared for whatever destination they choose.”
Yet another example of hands-on learning is Oak Lawn High School’s partnership with Moraine Valley Community College to offer computer network programming classes. (They must take an additional class at Moraine Valley to become certified, according to McKinzie).
“Our kids can learn to wire systems and get a job as college freshmen at $30,000 to $40,000 if they go on to get certified,” said McKinzie.
At Richards, where the computer-to-student ratio is 2-1, McAllister is integrating technology into the curriculum, another goal of the North Central Commission evaluation, by offering some tests on computers.
“We are really fortunate we have financial resources for technology,” McAllister said. “We have the support of our parents, administration and the board. We have all the good things any school would want. Now it’s up to us to look at ourselves to see how we can take the next step to see how we can do even better.”
