Post by wvhsparent on Sept 28, 2007 8:49:19 GMT -6
Report cards are often met with mixed responses from students. Some race to the mailbox because they can't wait to share the good news with their parents. Other students dash to the mailbox to make sure they retrieve the contents first and then strategize how to break the less than desirable news.
School districts receive their own report cards from the state of Illinois each fall. This information provides the results of how students, and ultimately the district, performed on standardized tests given the previous spring. It also provides information on how we are doing in comparison to state averages on things like spending, teacher salaries, and administrator-to-pupil ratios.
Around the district, we have our own ritual about the state report card that begins shortly after school starts. You can frequently hear administrators asking, "Have we heard from the state yet?" It's our own version of racing to the mailbox.
We find ourselves racing to the district's mailbox because we want to share our good news with the community. Our report card showed that the district made Adequate Yearly Progress, an important requirement set by the No Child Left Behind legislation.
Overall, the results from our students who took standardized tests last year showed our test scores remained steady and well above state averages. Ninety-two percent of students who took the Illinois State Achievement Test met or exceeded state standards.
Other highlights include math achievement scores of 95 percent for elementary and 94 percent for middle school students. In reading, our elementary and middle school scores hovered around 90 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
Science is another area where our students showed tremendous achievement. Ninety-three percent of fourth graders met or exceeded standards and the score was 92 percent for seventh graders.
At the high school level, even though our ACT composite score is at the highest it has ever been, both of our high schools had a few areas below No Child Left Behind standards.
At Waubonsie Valley, sufficient progress was not made for several subgroups, including blacks, Hispanics, students with disabilities, and students qualifying for the free or reduced lunch program. At Neuqua Valley, students with disabilities did not show adequate progress.
What does this mean? It means we have to work harder and try new approaches to make sure each student makes progress. It's our responsibility, simple as that. Our teachers are already exploring new programs at the high school level to address this issue.
In addition to test scores, we want to share other areas of our report card with you.
In the financial area, we continue to operate in a highly cost efficient manner. Student achievement is high, but our expenditures remain low. Our average operating expense of $8,639 per pupil remains below the state average of $9,488.
Our average teacher salary of $62,073 is slightly higher than the state average of $58,275. In looking at the report card you can also see the average administrator salary of $101,958 is slightly lower than the state average of $102,310.
Indian Prairie also operates with fewer administrators than the average district. According to the report card, most districts have one administrator for every 231 students. The ratio in our district is one administrator for every 386 students.
If you would like more information on how we measured up on this year's report card, I invite you to visit our website, ipsdweb.ipsd.org/News.aspx?id=16031, to view the 2007 Illinois District Report Card.
Stephen Daeschner
Superintendent
School districts receive their own report cards from the state of Illinois each fall. This information provides the results of how students, and ultimately the district, performed on standardized tests given the previous spring. It also provides information on how we are doing in comparison to state averages on things like spending, teacher salaries, and administrator-to-pupil ratios.
Around the district, we have our own ritual about the state report card that begins shortly after school starts. You can frequently hear administrators asking, "Have we heard from the state yet?" It's our own version of racing to the mailbox.
We find ourselves racing to the district's mailbox because we want to share our good news with the community. Our report card showed that the district made Adequate Yearly Progress, an important requirement set by the No Child Left Behind legislation.
Overall, the results from our students who took standardized tests last year showed our test scores remained steady and well above state averages. Ninety-two percent of students who took the Illinois State Achievement Test met or exceeded state standards.
Other highlights include math achievement scores of 95 percent for elementary and 94 percent for middle school students. In reading, our elementary and middle school scores hovered around 90 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
Science is another area where our students showed tremendous achievement. Ninety-three percent of fourth graders met or exceeded standards and the score was 92 percent for seventh graders.
At the high school level, even though our ACT composite score is at the highest it has ever been, both of our high schools had a few areas below No Child Left Behind standards.
At Waubonsie Valley, sufficient progress was not made for several subgroups, including blacks, Hispanics, students with disabilities, and students qualifying for the free or reduced lunch program. At Neuqua Valley, students with disabilities did not show adequate progress.
What does this mean? It means we have to work harder and try new approaches to make sure each student makes progress. It's our responsibility, simple as that. Our teachers are already exploring new programs at the high school level to address this issue.
In addition to test scores, we want to share other areas of our report card with you.
In the financial area, we continue to operate in a highly cost efficient manner. Student achievement is high, but our expenditures remain low. Our average operating expense of $8,639 per pupil remains below the state average of $9,488.
Our average teacher salary of $62,073 is slightly higher than the state average of $58,275. In looking at the report card you can also see the average administrator salary of $101,958 is slightly lower than the state average of $102,310.
Indian Prairie also operates with fewer administrators than the average district. According to the report card, most districts have one administrator for every 231 students. The ratio in our district is one administrator for every 386 students.
If you would like more information on how we measured up on this year's report card, I invite you to visit our website, ipsdweb.ipsd.org/News.aspx?id=16031, to view the 2007 Illinois District Report Card.
Stephen Daeschner
Superintendent