Yorkville makes grade

YORKVILLE - Even with elementary reading and math scores well above the state average and a high school graduation rate of nearly 99 percent, school leaders here find room for improvement in the district's annual report card.

School Board members on Monday got their first look at the numbers from Doug Trumble, assistant superintendent for instruction. The results were nearly two months late because of some delays from a state contractor who compiled the information.

The district solidly meets and exceeds state standards for all grade levels in the state's "Adequate Yearly Progress" component for reading and math. The AYP measure is driven in part by the federally mandated "No Child Left Behind" initiative, Trumble said.

Some 73 percent of the district's third-graders and some 70 percent of its fifth-graders who took the Illinois Standards Achievement Test met or exceeded reading goals. That compares to the state averages of 62 percent for third-graders and 60 percent for fifth-graders.

In math, some 88 percent of district third-graders and some 79 percent of its fifth-graders met or exceeded the goals. The figures compare to the state average of 76 percent for third-graders and 68 percent for fifth-graders.

And while the district was pleased with its showing in math, reading, and science, steps are already under way to improve the numbers in other areas.

"The one area that we are focusing on significantly is our writing scores - from the fifth grade on up," Trumble said.>

Some 54 percent of the district's eighth-graders met or exceeded ISAT writing goals, compared to the state average of 59 percent.

The writing score for Yorkville high school juniors - part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam - showed just 49 percent of Yorkville students met or exceeded the state goals. The figure compares to 59 percent for the state.

Trumble said the district is taking a number of steps in an effort to improve the writing scores.

A member of the state's language arts committee met for three days with Yorkville teachers to discuss the writing component of the test, he said.

Teachers have had 20 hours of additional training and have drafted a procedural plan based on the state's rubric for the writing test. Another in-service is scheduled for February, he added.

"This is a work in progress," Trumble said. "It is something that we've paid a lot of attention to."

The school report cards, which are required of every public school district in Illinois, were delayed because of a contractor hired by the state.

The state waived its requirement that the information needs to be provided to the community by Oct. 31.

Parents and guardians may view the results for each of the district's five schools on the district's Web site at www.yorkville.k12.il.us.

School Board members said they were generally pleased with trends that showed students meeting or exceeding state goals. "Remember, this is a snapshot," Board Vice President Michael Crouch said. "You take these tests on one day."

The Illinois Standards Achievement Test are administered to students in third, fifth, and eighth grades in reading, writing and math. Fourth-and seventh-grade students are tested in science and social science.

All of the state's high school juniors take the Prairie State Achievement Examination.

Among the other findings in the report cards: