Two hundred and thirty-two elementary schools in Illinois, including 179 in Chicago, have failed state achievement tests for a fourth consecutive year, triggering a new federal law that allows students to flee chronically underperforming schools and enroll in better ones, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Taking effect this fall, the new law could create havoc across Illinois, forcing large districts to bus hundreds or thousands of pupils within their borders, while mandating that single-school districts find neighboring districts willing to accept their youngsters.
In Chicago alone, nearly 40 percent of the elementary school population attends schools on the list released by the state board Monday. All pupils at those schools could seek transfers next fall.
About 150,000 elementary pupils in Illinois, including 124,000 in Chicago and about 20,000 in the suburbs, could be affected, according to a Tribune analysis. There are about 1.5 million elementary pupils in the state.
No one yet knows how many of these children will opt for a new school or, more important, whether districts have places to put them.
“This is going to be a complicated mess,” said Joseph Kaczanowski, interim regional schools superintendent for suburban Cook County.
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The 232 schools on the school choice list are located in 32 counties across the state, but the bulk of the schools are in the Chicago area.
Suburban Cook County has 27 schools on the list, Will and Lake Counties have four each and Kane County has one.
Each school landed on the list because more than 50 percent of its pupils flunked the Illinois State Achievement Tests in 1999, and the pupils failed to make “adequate” progress over the next three years. For this list, adequate progress is defined as improving at a pace fast enough to meet the 50 percent bar within five years.
Illinois tests 3rd, 5th and 8th graders in math, reading and writing. Pupils in 4th and 7th grade are tested in science and social science.
The state board typically releases statewide ISAT results in October, but was forced to speed up the analysis for the worst performing schools in order to give districts enough time to plan for busing. The rest of the ISAT data will be released next month, officials said.
High schools not listed
Illinois high schools were not listed because the state switched to a new high school exam two years ago and does not have the four consecutive years of data required this year.
The “No Child Left Behind” act, signed by President Bush in January, greatly expands federal oversight of public education, mandating annual testing of children in grades 3 through 8 and one grade-level in high school , insisting every classroom teacher be fully certified and setting a 12-year timetable for closing racial and economic achievement gaps in test scores. The new law also includes a boost in federal education spending, which translates into an additional $240 million for Illinois.
But the linchpin of the law is its accountability measures, which demand that children in failing schools be allowed to move to better schools and take their share of federal education money with them beginning this fall. Under the federal law, school districts must notify parents in failing schools before the school year begins and give them 30 days to seek a transfer.
If schools continue to fail, they must offer private tutoring for students who remain. The provision will kick in during the 2003-04 school year. Beginning next school year, slightly different measures will be used to determine which schools are chronic underperformers.
78 city schools escape
Chicago Public Schools chief Arne Duncan said he was pleased that more city schools did not land on the list, pointing out that 78 additional schools made enough progress this year to escape the list.
Duncan acknowledged that busing students out of poor-performing schools will be a challenge, but said he remains in favor of offering students as many choices as possible, and is optimistic that the new law can be accommodated in Chicago with minimal disruption.
“What we’re working on now is how best to create some additional options for students who might desire that,” Duncan said. “We will have more choice for transportation this fall than we’ve had in the past. We’re working as we speak to design those additional options.”
However, Chicago school officials have decided to bar students from moving into schools that are already crowded and, for the most part, from entering the desirable magnet and selective-enrollment schools. Duncan said that leaves about 100 schools eligible to accept transfers–with the possibility of 124,000 pupils trying to get into them.
He also said the district might further limit those choices by barring students from transferring from one end of the city to another.
Julie Woestehoff, executive director of Parents United for Responsible Education, a local reform watchdog group, was pessimistic about the results of the new parental options.
“In a sense, it will be the lowest performing schools exchanging students with low- to medium-performing schools, and overcrowded schools won’t be able to do anything,” she said. “This is not providing parents with a high quality choice and I think it’s because it’s not well organized and there’s not enough time to prepare the process and parents are not yet given adequate time to make a choice about their child. I think what you will have is a lot of disgruntled parents and not much change.”
Officials in Elgin-based District 46 also are struggling to figure out where they could move students in failing Hillcrest Elementary School.
“Our schools are typically pretty crowded,” said Assistant Supt. Ann Riebock.
Lori Lennix, principal of Doolittle Middle in Chicago, which landed on the list, said she doubts many pupils will choose to leave.
“I just don’t see where they have anywhere to go to,” she said. “If I was going to transfer my children I would probably look in the paper and look for schools that are in the 99 percentile, but there’s not going to be any seats there. There’s really nowhere to go.”
Meanwhile single-school districts, such as Burnham School District 1541/2 in the south suburbs, must find a neighboring district willing to take pupils who want out.
Though the federal law came with additional funds to help low achieving schools boost test scores, Chicago could spend the bulk of its new money simply moving students from one school to another.
The new law says a district must spend up to 20 percent of its federal Title I poverty money (about $41 million in Chicago) on busing and tutors for students in failing schools.
The requirement to bus more children comes as Chicago tries to trim its transportation costs to find more money for instruction and construction. The district’s spending has swelled to $122 million to bus about 40,000 children.
Failing schools mostly in Chicago
Of the 232 schools that must offer school choice to pupils for failing to meet standardized test requirements, 77% are in Chicago.
SCHOOLS THAT MUST OFFER PUPILS A CHOICE
Chicago schools: 179
Outside Chicago: 53
Total: 232
CHICAGO SCHOOLS
City Of Chicago School Dist 299
Alexander Graham Elem School
Altgeld Elementary School
Ames Middle School
Andersen Elem. Community Academy
Ashe Elementary School
Attucks Elementary School
Avalon Park Elementary School
Banneker Elementary School
Barton Elementary School
Bass Elementary School
Beidler Elementary School
Bethune Elementary School
Bond Elementary School
Bouchet Elem. Math & Science Acad.
Bradwell Comm Arts & Sci Elem Sc.
Bright Elementary School
Bunche Elementary School
Burbank Elementary School
Burke Elementary School
Byrd Elem. Community Academy
Caldwell Elem. Acad. Of Math & Sci
Calhoun North Elementary School
Carpenter Elementary School
Carter Elementary School
Carver Middle School
Carver Primary School
Castellanos Elementary School
Cather Elementary School
Chalmers Elem. Specialty School
Charles Hughes Elementary School
Chopin Elementary School
Cook Elementary School
Copernicus Elementary School
Crown Elem. Comm Acad. Fine Arts Ct.
Cuffe Elementary School
Curtis Elementary School
Daley Elementary Academy
Delano Elementary School
Deneen Elementary School
Depriest Elementary School
Dett Elementary School
Dewey Elem. Acad. Of Multicult. Stu.
Doolittle Middle School
Doolittle Primary West School
Douglas Elem. Community Academy
Douglass Junior High Academy
Drummond Elementary School
Dulles Elementary School
Dumas Elementary School
Emmet Elementary School
Esmond Elementary School
Fairfield Elementary Academy
Faraday Elementary School
Farren Fine Arts Elementary School
Fermi Elementary School
Fernwood Elementary School
Fiske Elementary School
Fort Dearborn Elementary School
Foster Park Elementary School
Frazier Elementary School
Fulton Elementary School
Funston Elementary School
Garvey Elementary School
Gillespie Elementary School
Gladstone Elementary School
Goldblatt Elementary School
Goodlow Elementary Magnet School
Grant Elementary School
Greeley Elementary School
Gregory Elementary School
Guggenheim Elementary School
Haley Elementary Academy
Hamline Elementary School
Hammond Elementary School
Hartigan Elem. Community Arts Spe.
Harvard Elementary School
Haugan Elementary School
Hay Elementary Community Acad.
Hearst Elementary School
Hefferan Elementary School
Henson Elementary School
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Herzl Elementary School
Hinton Elementary School
Holmes Elementary School
Howe Elementary School
Howland Elem. School Of The Arts
James Thorp Elementary School
Jenner Elem. Academy Of The Arts
Johns Elem. Community Academy
Johnson Elementary School
Jungman Elementary School
Kanoon Elementary Magnet School
Key Elementary School
King Elementary School
Lafayette Elementary School
Langston Hughes Elem. School
Lara Elementary Academy
Lavizzo Elementary School
Lawndale Elem. Community Academy
Lewis Elementary School
Logandale Middle School
Louis Armstrong Elem. Math & Sci.
Lowell Elementary School
Madison Elementary School
Mahalia Jackson Elementary School
Manierre Elementary School
Mann Elementary School
Marconi Elem. Community Academy
Marquette Elementary School
Mason Elementary School
May Elem. Community Academy
Mays Elementary Academy
McCutcheon Elementary School
McNair Elem. Community Academy
Medill Elementary School
Melody Elementary School
Metcalfe Elem. Community Academy
Michele Clark Middle School
Mireles Elementary Academy
Morgan Elementary School
Morrill Elementary Math & Sci. School
Morse Elementary School
Morton Elementary Career Academy
Mount Vernon Elementary School
Nash Elementary School
Nathan Davis Elementary School
Nia Elementary School
Nicholson Elementary Math & Science
Oglesby Elementary School
O’Keeffe Elementary School
Otis Elementary School
Park Manor Elementary School
Parker Elem. Community Academy
Parkman Elementary School
Parkside Elem. Community Academy
Peabody Elementary School
Penn Elementary School
Piccolo Elementary Specialty School
Pickard Elementary School
Pope Elementary School
Powell Elem. Paideia Comm Academy
Price Elementary School
Pullman Elementary School
Randolph Elem. Magnet School
Raymond Elementary School
Reavis Elem. Math & Sci. Spec. School
Reed Elementary School
Revere Elementary School
Ross Elementary School
Ruggles Elementary School
Ryder Elem. Math & Sci. Spec. School
Ryerson Elementary School
Schneider Elementary School
Sexton Elementary School
Sherman Elementary School
Sherwood Elementary School
Shoop Elementary School
Smith Elementary School
Smyth Elementary School
Songhai Elem. Learning Institute
South Loop Elementary School
Spencer Elem. Math & Sci. Academy
Spry Elementary Community School
Stagg Elementary School
Suder Elementary School
Sullivan Elementary Specialty School
Sumner Elem. Math & Sci. Comm. Acad.
Talcott Elementary School
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Tilton Elementary School
Webster Elementary School
Wendell Green Elementary School
Wentworth Elementary School
Westcott Elementary School
Whitney Elementary School
Woods Elem. Math & Sci. Academy
Woodson North Elem. School
Yates Elementary School
Young Elementary School
NON-CHICAGO SCHOOLS
Cairo District 1
Cairo Jr High School
Champaign District 4
Stratton Elementary School
Bellwood District 88
Wilson Elementary School
Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview-8
Emerson Elementary School
Garfield Elementary School
Irving Elementary School
Melrose Park Elementary School
Roosevelt Elementary School
Washington Elementary School
Cicero District 99
Cicero West Elementary School
Columbus West Elementary School
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Calumet District 132
Burr Oak Elementary School
Gen George Patton District 133
Gen George Patton Elementary School, Riverdale
Prairie-Hills District 144
Prairie-Hills Junior High School
Markham Park Elementary School
Chateaux School
W Harvey-Dixmoor District147
Rosa L Parks Middle School
Dolton District 148
Roosevelt Elementary School
Franklin Elementary School
Dolton District 149
Dirksen Middle School
South Holland District 151
Coolidge Middle School
Harvey District 152
Maya Angelou Elementary Sch
Lowell-Longfellow Elementary School
Whittier Elementary School
Hazel Crest District 1521/2
Woodland School
Burnham District 1541/2
Burnham Elementary School
Lincoln District 156
Lincoln Elementary School, Calumet City
Chicago Heights District 170
Wilson Elementary School
Dr Charles E Gavin Elem School
District 46
Hillcrest Elementary School, Elgin
Kankakee District 111
Steuben Elementary School
Mark Twain Primary School
Waukegan District 60
Daniel Webster Middle School
Gertrude Carman Elementary School
Glen Flora Elem School
Round Lake Area District 116
Raymond Ellis Elementary School
Decatur District 61
Southeast Elementary School
Madison District 12
Harris Elementary School
Peoria District 150
Sterling Middle School
White Middle School
Blaine-Sumner Middle School
Cahokia District 187
Huffman Elementary School
Penniman Elementary School
Brooklyn District 188 -Lovejoy Elementary School
Springfield District 186
Harvard Park School
Joliet District 86
Farragut Elementary School
Fairmont District 89
Fairmont Jr High School, Lockport
Fairmont Elementary School, Lockport
Rockford District 205
Swan Hillman Elem School
Jackson Elementary School
Kishwaukee Elementary School
Washington Elementary School
Crete Monee District 201U
Hickory Elementary School
Source: Illinois State Board of Education
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