As per usual, elementary and middle school students in Highland Park and Deerfield outperformed state averages on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test last year, according to the latest batch of test scores recently released.
But school officials say they aren’t putting much stock in the data. The reason for the lack of fanfare is that they say the test has changed dramatically over the past two years and will be replaced this spring by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, also known as the PARCC test.
The new test will better capture a student’s growth over time – as opposed to simply gauging whether she can hit a certain achievement mark – said Jennifer Ferrari, District 112 assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. It will also more closely reflect the federal Common Core standards that the district has been phasing in over the past few years.
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In a recent interview, Ferrari and District 112 Learning Coordinator Patrick Hoover said the state’s focus is turning toward growth, instead of achievement, as indicated in new academic growth data on the online “Illinois Report Card” for each district and school.
“I’m relieved and excited to be where we are right now,” Ferrari said. “The fact that Illinois is leading with growth is such a huge shift, it just makes everything else that much more exciting. And it gives opportunities to do what we know if best for kids. You become unfettered.”
In North Shore School District 112, about 74 percent of the percent met or exceeded the ISAT “cut scores” in reading and math, according to the new data. That’s down one percentage point from the previous year but still exceeded the state average of 59 percent.
In Deerfield Public Schools District 109, about 86 percent of the students met or exceeded the ISAT threshold, the same as last year.
Both districts exceeded state averages for academic growth.
“We’re always happy that we’re 30 points above the state average, but we’re never satisfied,” said Jeff Zoul, District 109 assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.
Like Ferrari and Hoover, Zoul said the ISAT data wasn’t very useful given the changes in recent years. Two years ago, the state raised the threshold for students to pass the test and began phasing in Common Core-related questions. Last year, the test was all Common Core.
“I don’t know a lot of conclusions can be drawn,” Zoul said. “If ever there was a year that doesn’t compare to other years, it’s this one.”
The PARCC test is a two-part assessment administered in March and May. It will take three years of data from that test to form a baseline for analysis, Hoover said, and will help districts better understand how the students – at specific schools and in demographic subgroups – are growing compared to their peers.
What’s the difference?
A school district like 112 has many smart kids, Hoover said. But the shift toward will capture whether the district’s programs are actually making a difference, he said.
“I think the idea here is trying to message that irrespective of the percentile a student comes in at, there’s an expectation that your school programs move the needle for your child,” Hoover said.
Both District 112 and District 109 already use the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test, among other assessments that capture growth better than the ISAT, the school officials said.
The PARCC test will also have its limitations, though, Ferrari said, in trying to gauge growth for the district’s native Spanish-speaking students still learning to speak English. The test will only be administered in English. To compensate for that, the district uses other tests given in Spanish.
“If we’re teaching in Spanish, and valuing Spanish, but end up only testing in English, that sends a mixed message,” Ferrari said.