Reading performance lower on Mannheim District 83 ISATS

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District 83 Illinois Standards Achievement results

Updated: November 28, 2011 8:20AM

Students in Mannheim District 83 schools had more difficulties in reading than math, according to partial state test results released last week.

Pupils in third through eighth grade took the Illinois Standards Achievement Test in March. Last week, District 83 officials discussed whether students were meeting testing targets required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that increasing numbers of students meet or exceed state standards each year to make adequate yearly progress, as defined by NCLB. This year, 85 percent or more of students are expected to meet or exceed state standards in reading and math, as measured by the ISAT test. Next year, targets will be raised to 92.5 percent or more of students meeting or exceeding standards in reading and math.

These targets must be reached by the school in its entirety as well as in specific student subgroups, broken down by ethnic background, income level and special education needs.

Results on the ISAT varied somewhat by school in District 83.

At Mannheim Middle School, 85 percent or more of students met AYP in math, but not in reading, with low-income students specifically not meeting AYP.

Likewise at Roy Elementary, where again 85 percent or more of students met AYP in math but not in reading, low-income students as a subgroup failed to meet AYP

Results were the best, if a bit puzzling, at Westdale Elementary, where all the major subgroups — Hispanic, limited English proficiency and limited income — met AYP. But the “all” category of students did not.

“That’s the crazy thing,” Assistant Superintendent Tom Lindsay said.

Students at Scott Elementary had the lowest performance. Fewer than 85 percent of students in the all, Hispanic, limited English proficiency and low-income groups met or exceeded standards in reading.

In addition, limited English proficiency and low-income subgroups also did not make AYP in math.

“I know Scott was disappointed this year in the results,” Lindsay said. “They are doing data digs and trying to figure out why kids didn’t perform as wanted.”

The State Board of Education will release full test results on Oct. 31. That’s when educators will get busy digging into the details of test results.

It’s the detailed results that matter, Lindsay said.

“Take a global area like reading,” Lindsay said. “We might find one particular subtest they didn’t do well in. Because of that, the whole score can go off. Because they didn’t make AYP doesn’t mean they can’t read.”

Lindsay adds that the district has a large population of students who are not native English speakers. “Math is not a language based subject,” whereas reading is, Lindsay said.

Over the next two months, principals from each of the schools will present their results to the School Board and come up with a school improvement plan.