Lyons School District 103 looks to rebound from low test scores

By Kevin Beese Staff reporter

Even before the recent release of a disappointing round of state test scores, especially in math, Lyons School District 103 leaders had opted for a change, bringing in Darek Naglak as director of curriculum and instruction. Naglak has instituted a professional development academy in the district, which will meet monthly after school and give teachers insight into teaching and student-learning. (Chronicle Media)

Lyons School District 103 is going with substance over smoothies.

Even before the recent release of a disappointing round of state test scores, especially in math, district leaders had opted for a change, bringing in Darek Naglak as director of curriculum and instruction. Naglak has instituted a professional development academy in the district, which will meet monthly after school and give teachers insight into teaching and student-learning.

“Our institute days are all about professional development now,” Naglak said.

District 103 School Board members were happy to hear about the new direction for teacher instruction.

“We need to start this,” board President Marge Hubacek said at the Oct. 10 School Board Committee of the Whole meeting. “We were not so into professional development last year. No more yoga and smoothies. Teachers want professional development.”

Naglak said the numbers bear that out. The first academy he conducted, providing insights on math instruction, was attended by more than 20 teachers.

He said math intervention instructors are being used for students lagging behind in math.

The district’s teachers will be looking to better ingrain material in students as District 103 saw subpar scores on the 2016-17 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test. Many of the district’s grade levels had less than 20 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the test. One Home School grade only had 10 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards in both language arts and math.

Robinson was the only district school that as a whole had more than 20 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in math — and that was with 20.7 percent.

Other school-wide math scores for meeting or exceeding state standards were

  • Costello — 19.1 percent
  • Lincoln — 18.6 percent
  • George Washington Middle School — 17.7 percent
  • Edison — 17.5 percent
  • Home — 16.6 percent

 

Superintendent Carol Baker said the district is always playing catch-up when the state shifts to a new testing vendor. This is the third, and likely final, year for PARCC. (Chronicle Media)

The state average for math was 39 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. Instances were less than 20 percent of District 103 students met or exceeded state standards on the 2016-17 PARCC test were:

  • Home School in both language arts and math had just 10 percent of third-graders at least hitting state standards. Last year, 21 percent of Home third-graders met or exceeded state standards in math.
  • Home also had only 12 percent of its fourth-graders at least hit the state standard in math, a nine-point drop from fourth-graders in 2015-16.
  • Just 13 percent of Costello fourth-graders at least hit the state benchmark in language arts, a 15-point drop from the previous year’s fourth-graders. The grade also had only 13 percent at least meeting standards in math, an eight-point drop from 2015-16.
  • Edison only had 18 percent of its fourth-graders meet or exceed state standards in math.
  • Edison also only had 13 percent of its fifth-graders at least hit the state standard in math.
  • Seventeen percent of Lincoln fourth-graders met or exceeded state standards in math, although it was an increase of 6 points from 2015-16.
  • Lincoln also saw just 17 percent of its fifth-graders at least meet standards in math, although it was a six-point increase from 2015-16.
  • Just 16 percent of Robinson fifth-graders met or exceeded standards in math.
  • Just 15 percent of George Washington sixth-graders at least hit the state benchmark in language arts, a 15-point drop from 2015-16.
  • Washington also only had 12 percent of its sixth-graders meet or exceed standards in math.
  • Only 17 percent of Washington eighth-graders at least hit state standards in math.

There were some highlights for the district on the PARCC scores:

  • Costello went from just 19 percent of its third-graders meeting or exceeding standards in math in 2015-16 to 31 percent of third-graders meeting or exceeding standards in 2017.
  • Thirty-five percent of Edison fourth-graders at least hit the state benchmark in language arts, a 13-point increase from the school’s fourth-grade class the previous year.
  • Edison’s fifth-grade class jumped 10 percentage points for meeting or exceeding in language arts, going from 26 percent in 2015-16 to 36 percent in 2016-17.
  • Washington seventh-graders recorded a 12-point jump in math, going from 9 percent at least hitting standards in 2015-16 to 21 percent last year.

Superintendent Carol Baker said the district is always playing catch-up when the state shifts to a new testing vendor. This is the third, and likely final, year for PARCC.

Board member Joanne Schaeffer said the district’s students can’t wait for the district to get up to speed on a new test.

“What about the kids? What about their future?” Schaeffer asked.

 

 

 

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