Post by title1parent on Jul 28, 2010 5:51:15 GMT -5
www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2538624,cps-test-gains-072710.article
CPS students score higher on tests
Post some of strongest gains in a decade
July 28, 2010 SunTimes
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Chicago Public high school students posted some of their strongest gains in a decade on assessment tests last spring, but reading remains a red flag.
After years spent harping on the need to improve reading, Mayor Daley said a drop of just under one percentage point in the reading portion of the Prairie State Achievement Exam “concerns me greatly.”
That’s compared to a 2.9 percentage-point gain in science and a 2.5 percentage-point increase in math.
The reading dip put the only damper on an otherwise positive outlook for high school students.
The number of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the Prairie State exam rose to 29.4 percent, up from 27.9 percent last year. Average ACT scores inched upward — from 17 to 17.3 out of a possible 36. That’s the highest ACT score for CPS students in a decade.
And college readiness — students achieving an ACT score of 20 or better — rose by 2.6 percentage points, from 21.8 percent to 24.4 percent. In 2001, only 17.1 percent of CPS students hit that benchmark.
“I want our public schools leadership team to re-examine their efforts to improve all these numbers. Obviously, our high school students must be proficient in reading if they’re to succeed in life,” Daley told a news conference at Chicago Vocational Career Academy, 2100 E. 87th Street.
The mayor blamed “conflicts with technology” for de-emphasizing reading.
“A lot of people think with technology, you don’t have to have reading. [But] We all realize that reading is the backbone of our education system. We just have to do more,” Daley said.
“That’s what the education team is thinking about: trying to impress to the families that we’re not just watchers. We’re readers. We just don’t have to watch things. We can read things.”
The gains come as the Board of Education is sending out layoff notices to 1,000 teachers in preparation for raising high school class sizes from 28 to 33 this fall.
The cuts will take effect unless there is an 11th-hour infusion of state funds or last-minute concessions by the Chicago Teachers Union.
Schools CEO Ron Huberman argued that the growth in test scores can still be maintained with larger classes and fewer teachers.
“All this means is that everyone needs to double-down and focus more and work harder,” he said.
Huberman argued that the growth in high school test scores — after years of “flat-lining ”— has more to do with accountability than it does with class size.
Four of five “chief area officers” — the rank above principal each presiding over up to 30 schools — were replaced this year.
Students were given assessment exams several times-a-year, and those who performed poorly were given special attention. Principals were then held accountable under an elaborate matrix that included exam scores, attendance, drop-out rates and disciplinary action involving students.
“We knew by the eighth week of school where achievement was happening, and where it was not, and we were able to take action,” he said.
Huberman noted that the high school gains were driven by neighborhood schools — not by the selective enrollment gems of the system.
Rickover Naval Academy showed a 15.1 percent increase on the Prairie State Exam. Phoenix Military scored an eight percent gain. Chicago Vocational went up 6.7 percent.
“These [represent] off-the-chart growth. ... That’s the front-line of education,” Huberman said.
CPS students score higher on tests
Post some of strongest gains in a decade
July 28, 2010 SunTimes
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Chicago Public high school students posted some of their strongest gains in a decade on assessment tests last spring, but reading remains a red flag.
After years spent harping on the need to improve reading, Mayor Daley said a drop of just under one percentage point in the reading portion of the Prairie State Achievement Exam “concerns me greatly.”
That’s compared to a 2.9 percentage-point gain in science and a 2.5 percentage-point increase in math.
The reading dip put the only damper on an otherwise positive outlook for high school students.
The number of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the Prairie State exam rose to 29.4 percent, up from 27.9 percent last year. Average ACT scores inched upward — from 17 to 17.3 out of a possible 36. That’s the highest ACT score for CPS students in a decade.
And college readiness — students achieving an ACT score of 20 or better — rose by 2.6 percentage points, from 21.8 percent to 24.4 percent. In 2001, only 17.1 percent of CPS students hit that benchmark.
“I want our public schools leadership team to re-examine their efforts to improve all these numbers. Obviously, our high school students must be proficient in reading if they’re to succeed in life,” Daley told a news conference at Chicago Vocational Career Academy, 2100 E. 87th Street.
The mayor blamed “conflicts with technology” for de-emphasizing reading.
“A lot of people think with technology, you don’t have to have reading. [But] We all realize that reading is the backbone of our education system. We just have to do more,” Daley said.
“That’s what the education team is thinking about: trying to impress to the families that we’re not just watchers. We’re readers. We just don’t have to watch things. We can read things.”
The gains come as the Board of Education is sending out layoff notices to 1,000 teachers in preparation for raising high school class sizes from 28 to 33 this fall.
The cuts will take effect unless there is an 11th-hour infusion of state funds or last-minute concessions by the Chicago Teachers Union.
Schools CEO Ron Huberman argued that the growth in test scores can still be maintained with larger classes and fewer teachers.
“All this means is that everyone needs to double-down and focus more and work harder,” he said.
Huberman argued that the growth in high school test scores — after years of “flat-lining ”— has more to do with accountability than it does with class size.
Four of five “chief area officers” — the rank above principal each presiding over up to 30 schools — were replaced this year.
Students were given assessment exams several times-a-year, and those who performed poorly were given special attention. Principals were then held accountable under an elaborate matrix that included exam scores, attendance, drop-out rates and disciplinary action involving students.
“We knew by the eighth week of school where achievement was happening, and where it was not, and we were able to take action,” he said.
Huberman noted that the high school gains were driven by neighborhood schools — not by the selective enrollment gems of the system.
Rickover Naval Academy showed a 15.1 percent increase on the Prairie State Exam. Phoenix Military scored an eight percent gain. Chicago Vocational went up 6.7 percent.
“These [represent] off-the-chart growth. ... That’s the front-line of education,” Huberman said.