It was the best of scores and the worst of scores for Chicago high schools as the 2017 Illinois Report Card was unveiled.

Chicago’s secondary learning institutions posted the top five scores in Cook County for meeting and exceeding state standards on the SAT, used this past spring as the state’s assessment tool for high school students for the first time. At the same time the five college preparatory schools were being lauded for their performance, 19 Chicago high schools had the dubious distinction of not having any of their students meet or exceed the state benchmarks in language arts and math.

Leading the way for all Cook County public high schools was Chicago’s Walter Payton College Prep, which boasted more than 96 percent of its SAT exam takers last spring as either meeting or exceeding state standards.

It is hard to look at having the second highest percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in vast Cook County as a disappointment, but Chicago’s Northside College Prep actually lost more than 7 percentage points in student proficiency in language arts and math on this year’s Report Card, down from a perfect 100 percent score last year.

Chicago’s Whitney M. Young Magnet School saw the third highest percentage of students in the county meet or exceed the state standards, having 91.3 percent of its juniors show proficiency on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel did not comment on the just released State Report Card data, but did this summer when Niche, which analyzes school data across the country, listed those three high schools among the top 10 nationally.

“I am so proud of the great work by principals, teachers and students in these high schools – from Walter Payton to Northside Prep to Whitney Young, and throughout Chicago Public Schools,” Emanuel said. “They are proving to everyone what those of us in Chicago have long known: Chicago students always succeed when we invest in their success.

“Our principals, our teachers and the nearly 400,000 children they serve deserve the support of their governor and the state of Illinois as they continue to make incredible academic gains and outperform their peers across the country.”

Two more Chicago public schools, Lane Tech and Jones College Prep, posted the fourth and fifth highest percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards with more than 84 percent of students showing proficiency in math and language arts on the SAT.

The highest ranked suburban school — in terms of students meeting or exceeding standards on the SAT — was New Trier, with 83.4 percent of its students registering passing marks for the state standard, a 70.9 percent jump from last year.

Some education experts wonder if the overall numbers of student performance could even go higher if the test were administered earlier in the year. With most students already knowing what college they are attending by spring, their scores on the SAT really don’t matter that much, the experts contend. However, for students deferred, wait-listed or who opt to transfer schools, the scores do carry weight.

This year’s high school juniors will take the SAT, including writing, across the state during the regular school day April 10 in order to be promoted to senior year and graduate, according to Eric Martzolf, director of assessment and evaluation for Hinsdale Township High School District 86, which had one of its schools — Hinsdale Central — post more than 77 percent of its students as proficient in math and language arts.

Martzolf noted that SAT scores must be placed in student’s permanent record.

In order to prepare students for the SAT, District 86 had all its freshmen, sophomores and juniors take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test last month. In information provided to parents, Martzolf said the test was given during a school day “to help all students demonstrate their full potential on the SAT as juniors.”

Seniors were encouraged to work on college applications or go on college visits that day, Martzolf noted.

District 86 provided the PSAT to students free of charge, he noted, allowing all juniors the opportunity to use their PSAT results as their qualifying scores for the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

“This standardized testing program is part of the comprehensive academic and post-secondary planning services District 86 provides to all students,” Martzolf said.

Glenbrook North, which saw more than 75 percent of its students meet or exceed state standards on last spring’s SAT, has contracted with a standardized test company, Excel Edge, for SAT and ACT preparation classes at the north suburban school. For $316, students receive eight prep sessions and a practice SAT session.

“Glenbrook North believes that the decision to use a standardized test preparation program is a personal decision made by each student and his or her parents,” Ed Solis, Glenbrook North assistant principal of curriculum and instruction,” said in information about the program provided by the district.

“Glenbrook North High School is committed to providing our students with the educational experiences necessary to pursue higher education and other post-high school training. Participation in an appropriate curriculum is the best preparation for college or for obtaining employment,” Solis said. “Junior year of high school is typically when the college search begins and is a very important year in the college admission process. Standardized test scores are one component in determining acceptance at many colleges and universities.”

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— SAT gets Cook County school districts’ attention  —-