Most local high schools fell short of standardized test scores under the state's interpretation of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation — some fell far short.

But with the target climbing each year, school officials say it's harder to make improvements and turn that around in one year, especially when a different class of students is tested each year. This year 70 percent of students must meet or exceed standards in reading and math. Next year, it will be 77.5 percent and the following year it will be 85 percent. One hundred percent of students are to meet standards by 2014.

The Prairie State Achievement Exam is a two-day test administered to the junior class. One day of the test is the ACT college entrance exam. The fact that half of the test aligns to a college entrance test but not all students enrolled in high school are college-bound makes student success difficult. A student may have completed a course of study to graduate from high school, but that doesn't mean he or she took college preparation classes.

Elementary schools have fared better than high schools so far under Illinois' version of NCLB and some of that owes to standards being more clearly defined at that age level, said Matt Winchester, interim superintendent at Ottawa Township High School, where 58.8 percent of students met standards in reading and 49.7 percent met standards in math. The standards for the college readiness assessment are harder to pin down.

Jay Streicher, director of curriculum and professional development for the Somonauk School District, where 51.7 percent of students met standards in reading on the PSAE and 31.5 percent of students met standards in math, agreed.

"One of biggest changes from the (Illinois Standards Achievement Test for elementary schools) to the PSAE is the standards to which each test is aligned. ISAT is linked to Illinois Learning Standards and PSAE to the ACT college readiness standards," he said. "Our curriculum needs to be aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards, but what we have discovered is that the college readiness standards are much more rigorous. The high school is working on this alignment in content areas at this time. This creates that disconnect between the two tests where students have very good scores through middle school and appear to drop dramatically in high school. It is truly an apples to oranges comparison ... We have begun to make these shifts, but it will take time before we see our changes come to fruition."

Local high schools are not alone in falling short of the goals under NCLB. The Illinois State Board of Education reported 1,553 schools and 429 districts in the state did not make adequate yearly progress. That's almost 50 percent of the school districts statewide.

Deb Derby, principal at Woodland School District in Streator, where 59.4 percent of students met or exceeded standards on the PSAE in reading and 65.6 percent in math, said small class sizes can make a big difference with the test results. When students the PSAE comes around again in April, just 38 students will take the test.

"If two or three don't do well, we're pretty much sunk," she said.

She said it's difficult for students to sit and take tests all day for two days in a row.

"Some kids can't handle that," she said. "Two days at that concentration level is super hard, and that's a big factor. To have just that limited movement, it's stressful."

Plus, she said, in April, students are thinking about their coming summer vacation and end-of-the-year events, not tests, and many don't take the test seriously. Also, some students haven't completed the levels of math and English being tested with the ACT, particularly the special needs students who also must succeed on this test regardless of their level of study on a day-to-day basis.

Some officials were pleased their results show continued improvement, even if it wasn't enough of a jump to hit the 70 percent mark.

"Sandwich High School also experienced positive gains in their PSAE reading scores this past year with 64 percent of those administered the reading exam meeting or exceeding state standards — a leap from 47.2 percent in 2007 and from 52.4 in 2008," said Rick Schmitt, superintendent of Sandwich School District. "In math, last year's juniors taking the PSAE noted similar results juniors all over the state experienced."

Schmitt said 51.7 percent met or exceeded math standards, similar to numbers at the high school from the previous year. This number was similar to the state average, he said.

Winchester noted OTHS' reading score was the highest in nine years and the math score was the second highest, dipping just slightly from last year's score, which is the highest. Since each year a different group of students is tested, he still considers this an indication the school is finding some success.

"We're moving in the right direction," said Winchester. "Just not fast enough to catch (each year's goal)."

Winchester added the test does not address some of the positive things in a high school's curriculum, including vocational studies and fine arts.

Craig Carter, superintendent at La Salle-Peru High School, where 56.5 percent of students met or exceeded standards in reading and 49.6 percent in math, said his school is showing improvement each year, even if it's not at the rate demanded under NCLB.

The graduation rate, he said, has climbed steadily to 90.6 percent, the highest in 20 years. The average ACT score has also risen to an average composite of 20.5, its highest point in five years.

"Our scores have been going up and as you can see the benchmarks are rising greatly and at a quick pace," he said. "I certainly favor analyzing data, showing improvement and student achievement. That's what we're about."

Schools have begun doing annual testing for freshmen and sophomores — even for eighth-graders before they arrive at high school — using standardized tests meant to predict success on the ACT. These indicators have helped illuminate areas of weakness, but turning around the curriculum will take time.

As more and more schools fall below the target, educators expect that NCLB will need to be revamped. Many educators hope for a growth model that would track a school's success each year, not demanding that a school meet a prescribed target each year.

"Eventually, all schools will be failing in the state of Illinois," said Winchester. "We can do the best we can, but the punitive nature of NCLB needs to be addressed."




Prairie State Achievement Exam

Prairie State Achievement Exam (for high schools)
Based on tests taken in April 2009
Goal for this year: 70 percent meeting or exceeding standards in reading and math

High school/Reading score/Math score
Somonauk 51.7/31.5
Sandwich 64/51.7
Woodland 59.4/65.6
Flanagan 61.5/66.7
Newark 38.6/43.2
Leland 54.5/54.5
Serena 41.1/35.7
Earlville 37/48.1
Streator 43.4/39.4
La Salle-Peru 56.5/49.6
Ottawa 58.8/49.7
Seneca 73.9/57.1
Mendota 62.3/61.6
Fieldcrest 64.5/45.2

Source: Illinois State Board of Education