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School Board News Bulletin
January, 2004

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Adequate Yearly Progress requirements tough, getting tougher

Tax amnesty delivers additional funds to some school districts

Quinn's wealth tax plan to appear on some March ballots

ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Here's how Palatine Dist. 15 won the Baldrige Award

District 189 placed on probationary status by state

Primary election deadline passes

RESEARCH REPORTS

NCLB's state-level test standards vary greatly

Illinois only state to get an 'F' on school resource equity

FEDERAL UPDATE

Board members entitled to federal tax deduction

ERIC education information clearinghouses closed

NEWS FROM IASB

IASB to offer job fair for teachers and administrators

In memoriam ... IASB Past President Myron W. Clark

TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

Education license plates finally available from state

Celebrate 'school board recognition month'

NEWS HEADLINES

Adequate Yearly Progress requirements tough, getting tougher
Federal NCLB Act contains penalties for noncompliance up to dissolving school boards

This year, along with the state's long-delayed release of the Illinois State Report Cards, came an announcement that many schools throughout the state had been erroneously placed on the observation list for not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). School administrators immediately voiced their concerns about errors riddling the report cards, and unrealistic expectations.

Thus, for example, the state identified many schools whose report cards showed 100 percent of students were tested. Yet those same schools registered less than 100 percent participation by various subgroups - a clear impossibility.

The Illinois State Board of Education admitted errors were made, and created a verification period for nearly 450 schools identified for possibly being charged in error with not making AYP. The schools were granted until Jan. 15 to either verify or contradict participation statistics for AYP that did not add up on the state report cards, and were told the state will notify them about any corrections.

The errors occurred with regard to requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The federal law requires all states to measure each public school's and district's student achievement and establish annual student achievement targets for AYP. The announced goal under NCLB is for all public school students to meet or exceed academic standards by 2014. Yet this year only 55.2 percent of all students in Illinois met or exceeded the standards, compared to 56.1 percent last year.

NCLB requires schools and school districts to make AYP in improving student test scores or face penalties that extend from permitting students to transfer to dissolving the school boards of noncompliant districts. The law also requires schools to raise test scores of various demographic groups of students or risk the same consequences that would occur if all students performed poorly.

Every school having at least 40 students in any of eight demographic groups must test at least 95 percent of each group in reading and math. The eight groups required to make AYP include: whites, blacks, Hispanics, native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander, students on free or reduced lunch, special education students with IEPs and 504 plans; and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.

But although penalties for falling short of AYP goals are uniform from state to state, the goals and standards of testing for AYP are not. Each state sets its own definition of what is to be required of students in order to make AYP, and each state sets its own cut scores for its tests (see "NCLB's state-level test standards vary greatly" on page 2 for further information on this topic).

As a result of this non-standardized approach, 87 percent of public schools did not meet annual goals in Florida, while in Kansas only 13 percent did not meet that state's very different goals. In Illinois, about half of all public schools did not meet the AYP goals in the latest calculations, with most high schools falling short and a majority of grade schools meeting the goals. Among elementary schools, 56 percent in the state made state standards - though possible data errors may take some schools off the failing list in coming days or weeks.

High school leaders contend, however, that their students have no significant incentive to perform well on the state exams. After all, test grades are not awarded, graduation status is not impacted by the tests, and individual scores are not disaggregated from the whole to assess or assist in individual student progress.

One other problem with most state testing, administrators say, is that students who do not speak English are required to take a test given in English. If the students score poorly, or do not take the test, the school is labeled as not making AYP and may face sanctions. Likewise, special education students generally are held to the same rigorous standards as their regular education peers.

Once a school is placed on the improvement status list for failing to make AYP two years in a row it will take two consecutive years of meeting its target progress to be removed.

What's more, if a school is labeled as failing to make AYP, it does not mean it has failed to improve. Some of the most improved schools may have narrowly failed to make arbitrary goals of AYP in only one category or for one demographic group of students as defined by the law.

The law "ensures that a school will be painted with the brush of failure," said Cook County Regional Superintendent Bob Ingraffia, who believes schools are required to "hit moving targets" as set by the law, with AYP goals that increase each year. Ingraffia also says the "failing" label may erode public support for schools.

How Illinois calculates AYP

According to ISBE, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations in Illinois are based on three criteria:

1. Meeting target math & reading scores

The percent of reading and math scores that meet or exceed standards, compared to the annual state targets.

2. Participation rates

The most basic requirement for making AYP is a 95 percent participation rate of students in all measurable subgroups taking state assessments.

To calculate the participation percentage (proportion):

• Number of students participating in ISAT, PSAE, IMAGE, IAA, and Grade 2 Assessments - divided by -
• Number of students enrolled at the time of testing

This same formula will be used at both the school and district levels to determine participation rates.

3. The other indicators

After schools and districts meet the 95 percent participation rate requirements, and the achievement requirement, they must also meet one last performance requirement, "the other indicator."

This term refers to the attendance rates of students in elementary and middle schools, and the graduation rates of students in high schools, all of which must meet or exceed the state's annual targets as follows:

Elementary and middle schools

Currently, the school must have an 88 percent attendance rate overall and for each subgroup.

High Schools

Overall, and within each sub-group, 65 percent of students were expected to graduate from high school in 2003.

For answers to the most frequently asked questions about Adequate Yearly Progress, and an AYP flow chart, visit the Web site located at: www.isbe.net/ayp/faq.htm

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Tax amnesty delivers additional funds to some school districts

Illinois school districts and local governments throughout the state will receive a one-time additional influx of $80 million as a result of the state's Illinois Tax Amnesty Program, with schools receiving nearly two-thirds of that amount.

In December and January, the Illinois Department of Revenue allocated personal property replacement taxes of $243 million to schools and local governments, an $80 million addition derived from tax amnesty collections.

The personal property replacement tax, a 2.5 percent surcharge on the state corporate income tax, is collected on state corporate income tax returns and allocated to local governments.

Taxing bodies around the state began receiving some of the tax amnesty money in December and will get the remainder in January, according to the Department of Revenue. A sampling of schools and local governments receiving additional money from the tax amnesty program includes:

• Chicago Dist 299 Schools...$11,203,204
• Moline Unit Dist. 40...$284,107
• Murphysboro C.U. Dist.186...$20,689

A complete list of allocations is available on the Department of Revenue Web site at www.ILtax.com.

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Quinn's wealth tax plan to appear on some March ballots

Residents in at least 17 counties will vote on an advisory referendum in March about whether or not Illinois should raise income taxes on an estimated 81,343 state taxpayers who earn more than $250,000.

The proposal is the brainchild of Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who wants a constitutional amendment to impose an additional 3 percent income tax on Illinois residents making more than $250,000 a year, beginning in 2005.

The tax increase proposal, known as the Taxpayer Action Amendment, would raise taxes on fewer than one in 50 taxpayers. He estimates the plan would produce nearly $1.15 billion in new revenue, to be placed in a special fund to aid education and to provide property tax rebates to homeowners.

Specifically, the money would be deposited into a new Education Trust Fund, and 50 percent of this fund would be distributed in equal amounts each July 1 to every tax-paying homeowner. The other 50 percent would be distributed on a per-student basis to every elementary and secondary public school in the state.

Quinn had asked all 102 counties to authorize the referendum; at press time only 17 had done so. The deadline for deciding to place the referendum on the March ballot was Jan. 12.

Under Quinn's proposal, $575 million in new money would be raised to boost elementary and secondary education by $277 per student. Another $575 million would be raised to benefit the state's 2.8 million homeowners.

Regardless of the March balloting, the plan would require a three-fifths vote of approval in each legislative chamber before it could go to voters as a state constitutional amendment in a statewide referendum.

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ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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Here's how Palatine Dist. 15 won the Baldrige Award

As the December Newsbulletin reported, C.C. Dist. 15, Palatine, recently received a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest honor for quality and performance excellence.

President Bush and Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans announced this year's seven Baldrige winners on Nov. 25. The Baldrige winners "represent America's best and are setting a high standard for corporate and social responsibility," Evans said.

Dist. 15 implemented a wide array of programs and services that have led to higher levels of student achievement, and the award.

Among these programs are intensive reading intervention programs in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade; the Soar to Success program to accelerate reading growth in grades 3 through 6; and Read 180, which combines technology with high-interest, age-appropriate print materials for children in junior high and targeted elementary schools. One-on-one and small group sessions are provided for English language learners.

Dist. 15 serves 12,390 students in kindergarten through grade 8 in seven municipalities northwest of Chicago. Its student population is 37.5 percent minority, and nearly a third come from non-English speaking households.

Winning a Baldrige award is a "tremendous honor," said Dist. 15 Board President Louis A. Sands. "It's an indication that we are moving in the right direction. The things we needed to do to apply for the award were things we needed to do anyway. The goal was not to win the award, but to achieve continuous quality improvement."

Baldrige recipients were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in these areas: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and results. The evaluation included about 1,000 hours of review and on-site visits by teams of examiners.

Among the achievements of Community Consolidated District 15 cited by the Baldrige program:

• In the 2002-03 school year, 84 percent of second graders were reading at or above grade level, nearly 85 percent above the national average.
• From 2001-02 to 2002-03, eighth-grade students' "enthusiasm for learning," a key performance target, increased from 42 percent to 82 percent for reading, from 50 to 80 percent for math, and from 42 to 82 percent for science.
• The district determines its "market performance" by calculating the dollar cost per percentage point of student performance on state tests. At $111.93, the district outperformed three comparison districts, which ranged from $118.57 to $122.36.
• The rate at which special education students are meeting goals has steadily improved since 1998, reaching approximately 14 percent in 2002-03. That is significantly higher than both national and state comparisons of about 5 percent each.
• For English language learners, the rate has increased from 8 percent in 1998-99 to 15 percent in 2002-03.
• The turnover rate for certified staff was 11.7 percent for 2002-03, compared to a national average of 20 percent.
• The district has increased the number of its teachers who have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards from two in 1994-95 to 48 in 2002-03.
• Teachers deemed "highly qualified" under Illinois' criteria for meeting the No Child Left Behind Act teach 100 percent of the district's classes.
• Science instruction is enhanced by the use of a former school bus converted to a "space shuttle," a Discovery Learning Center for earth science and geology, and involvement in actual space shuttle missions.
• A District Advisory Committee for Educational Excellence - which includes representatives from key stakeholder groups and is chaired by a community member - uses a strategic planning process to translate stakeholder expectations, environmental scanning information, and organizational performance requirements into goals and performance expectations.
• The district's strategic vision is translated into a "one-page plan scorecard" for each department. Objectives from these scorecards are communicated to school leaders, who use this information to align their own plans using a "plan, do, study, act cycle."

In 1998, NSBA's Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education named Dist. 15 a Salute District for Technology and presented it with the first Reed Hundt Award for Excellence in Technology.

Sands adds that Dist. 15 received the top school transportation award in the nation in November 2003 - the Leland E.G. Larson Quality Student Transportation Award, presented by the National Association for Pupil Transportation.

The Baldrige award program was created by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and reward quality and performance achievements.

As mentioned in the December Newsbulletin, the Baldrige-related Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence recently announced 2003 winners of the Lincoln Award for Commitment to Excellence. Building-level winners - in addition to Elk Grove C.C. Dist. 59; Huntley Dist. 158; and Pekin Dist. 108 - were Friendship Jr. High, Des Plaines; and Holmes Jr. High, Mt. Prospect, both of which are located in Elk Grove Dist. 59.

For more information about the Baldrige program, visit www.nist.gov.

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District 189 placed on probationary status by state

East St. Louis Dist. 189's alleged failure to test nearly 160 special education students led State Superintendent Robert Schiller to place the district on probationary recognition status on Dec. 18. As a result, the Dist. 189 school system faces serious risk of dissolution.

Schiller said he would immediately inform District 189 leaders they have 30 days to provide a corrective action plan to the state. Their plan must aim to resolve critical shortcomings exposed in a review of the District 189 special education program two months ago.

Alleged problems centered on the exclusion of special needs students at six District 189 schools from taking the Illinois Standards Achievement Test in April, as well as irregularities in some disabled students' individualized education plans.

District 189 must abide by the corrective action plan in a timely way or it could eventually fall into non-recognition status. If that happens, the district would not be eligible to apply for any funds from the state's common school fund. Such designation could also mean the loss of all federal dollars for the district, possibly setting it on course to dissolution.

Probationary recognition is the most severe penalty he could have imposed at this time, Schiller said. Probationary recognition - a warning that a school or district must make certain improvements - is one of three levels of recognition status granted by the State Superintendent of Education under his statutory authority to evaluate public schools.

The other state recognition status levels are "full recognition," which is granted to any district meeting the minimal standards required of schools, and "non-recognition," which is given to any district that fails to meet legal requirements or fails to give evidence of meeting minimal standards.

The district's problems were first alleged in October 2003, when it was discovered that only 69 percent of Wyvetter Younge Middle School students took the ISAT in April. This low participation rate violated the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires that 95 percent or more of any school's eligible students take the test.

Investigators later determined that most of the untested students were special education students who were prevented from taking the test by one middle school principal, Terrence Curry. Curry has since been demoted by the local school board, along with three other principals in the district.

Source: ISBE, and Belleville News-Democrat news reports.

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Primary election deadline passes

Monday, January 12 was the last day for local governing boards to adopt a resolution or ordinance to allow binding public questions to appear on the March 16 general primary ballot. Upcoming issues of the Newsbulletin will report on school funding resolutions appearing on the March ballot.

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RESEARCH REPORTS

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NCLB's state-level test standards vary greatly

There are huge variations in how much states expect their students to learn under the No Child Left Behind Act, with Illinois falling roughly in the middle of the pack. So said a recent study called "The State of State Standards" that directly compares the difficulty levels of reading and math tests in 14 states.

Among the states studied, Texas and Colorado consistently had the lowest standards for their students on reading and math tests. Gage Kingsbury, lead author of the study, said those states, and probably others not covered in the study, are setting such lenient standards for schools and students that nearly all can pass muster without much effort.

The study was conducted by the Northwest Evaluation Association, a nonprofit organization that helps develop and administer achievement tests in more than 1,100 school districts across the country.

Researchers expected to find variation among states. But they said they were shocked by the huge differences in what states consider proficient academic performance. In fifth grade reading, for example, Colorado set its reading proficiency standards so low that 82 percent of fifth-graders nationwide could meet them, the study says. In contrast, the study shows, Illinois set its reading proficiency standards at a level such that 63 percent of the nation's fifth-graders could meet them.

Variations in difficulty are gaining national attention and importance now that the federal No Child Left Behind law requires the same sanctions for schools, no matter what state the schools are in, if enough students don't pass state tests.

Study co-author Kingsbury said concerns about possibly unfair effects of No Child Left Behind helped prompt the study.

The study came up with three general conclusions:

• Proficiency standards among states differ enough to cause substantial differences in the percentage of students categorized as proficient from one state to the next, even if the students have exactly the same skills.
• Proficiency standards within individual states differ across grades enough that they may provide teachers with inconsistent proficiency indications for a large percentage of students.
• Proficiency standards between subject areas within and across states differ enough that they may provide schools with inconsistent information when comparing proficiency of students in reading to proficiency of students in mathematics.

To examine the study visit the NWEA's Web site: www.nwea.org and click on the link titled "View the Report."

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Illinois only state to get an 'F' on school resource equity

Education Week's national Quality Counts 2004 report recently examined what states are doing in education, and for the third consecutive year gave Illinois an "F" on equitable distribution of resources and a "C+" for adequacy of educational resources.

Scores on equity were based on the percent of taxable resources spent on education by the states, while adequacy was judged on each state's per pupil spending as a percentage of the U.S. average, adjusted for regional cost differences, and student needs. The seventh annual supplement to Education Week offers state-by-state comparisons of education quality.

There was also some news of school improvement in the state, as Illinois schools received an "A-" grade for standards and accountability, after getting a "B-" in that area last year; and the state got a "B-" for school climate, after getting a "C" last year. For more information, visit the Web site at www.edweek.org/sreports/qc04/.

Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2004: Count Me In," Jan. 2004.

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FEDERAL UPDATE

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Board members entitled to federal tax deduction

School board members are allowed a deduction on their federal income tax returns for non-reimbursed expenses arising out of board service. The cost of driving to and from board meetings is one such deduction. Board members must itemize deductions and file Form 1040 to qualify. For further information contact the IRS or see IRS Publication 526, "Charitable Contributions," containing guidelines pertinent to board member deductions. Free copies of that publication are available from the IRS and may be obtained via fax or mail by calling 1-800/829-3676.

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ERIC education information clearinghouses closed

Until recently, the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, located of the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, had served as one of 16 subject-based clearinghouses for educational information. But no more; it was closed by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on Dec. 31, along with the nation's 15 other clearinghouses for education research dissemination.

The closings were part of an effort to revamp ERIC's information clearinghouse system, as required by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002.

Some librarians and educators fear, however, that the new system will make it more difficult to access vital research on educational topics. The changes could be particularly significant at a time when school administrators are struggling to incorporate "scientifically based research" into their educational approaches, as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Also closing with the clearinghouses is AskERIC, an Internet-based service launched 11 years ago to help educational researchers get their questions answered more quickly and easily. Queries could be made to it through e-mail and the appropriately chosen clearinghouse staff member would respond with information about relevant resources.

The clearinghouses were established in the 1960s to archive studies produced by federally funded education research projects. ERIC's database, which will still be available online, contains bibliographic information about more than 1 million items dating back to 1966, including research reports, curriculum materials, books and journal articles. It is said to be the world's largest and most often used education database.

Although the clearinghouses are gone, ERIC is pledging to upgrade the database system's search technology, and add new topics. One aim is to make the entire online system compatible with ED's new What Works Clearinghouse. In addition, ED plans to add full-text articles to the system's current list of bibliographic records.

The result will be a more efficient system for tapping into the latest education literature, ED officials maintain.

But Dianne Rothenberg, emeritus professor of education at the University of Illinois, who had been a director of the Urbana clearinghouse since 1970, believes the real issue was control.

"I think this has more to do with finding 16 clearinghouses difficult to manage and control in terms of the message coming out," Rothenberg said.

She said the clearinghouses have functioned much like libraries in providing information and a way to find answers for their constituents, rather than telling them what they thought the answers were.

"I think the concern was that if the program was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the message should be the party line," Rothenberg said. "It's not our job to tell people how to think about education issues. It's to help them ask the right questions."

For more information visit the ERIC Web site, where the ERIC database remains online, at www.eric.ed.gov/ .

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NEWS FROM IASB

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IASB to offer job fair for teachers and administrators

The 9th annual IASB Job Fair for teachers, administrators and education majors will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 6 at Saint Xavier University, Chicago (advance registration and fee required for participating school districts). The purpose is to assist districts in finding and hiring qualified teachers and administrators.

The first eight job fairs identified hundreds of school job applicants at all grade and building levels. The fair is a chance to meet many of these candidates early in the search process.

To reserve your district's spot in this important event, contact Bridget Trojan at IASB for more information regarding registration fees and procedures. Reach her via e-mail at btrojan@iasb.com or call 630/629-3776, extension 1236. Space is limited.

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In memoriam ... IASB Past President Myron W. Clark

IASB has received word that IASB Past President (1974-75) Myron Ward Clark, 91, passed away in Mesa, AZ on Dec. 19. Clark, who served on the Wheaton Warrenville C.U. Dist. 200 board during his IASB tenure, was the only person to have served as president of both the Illinois and Minnesota (1949-50) school boards associations. Under his presidency, IASB held its first Leadership conference, and adopted the association's first code of conduct for board members.

Clark began his career as a dairy farmer, serving on several local school boards through the years. From 1950 to 1955 he also served as Minnesota's Commissioner of Agriculture. He later became national membership director for the National Dairy Association in 1955, before joining ServiceMaster Industries, Chicago, as market expansion director in 1963. He held various executive positions in that company until his retirement in 1982.

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TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS

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Education license plates finally available from state

There are now a sufficient number of orders of the so-called education license plate to warrant its production and release, according to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. White's office sponsored a contest for elementary school children last year to design the new education license plate.

Danae Fuqua, a fifth grade student from Grace McWayne School, in Batavia C.U. Dist. 101, created the winning design. Her design was chosen out of more than 9,000 entries.

The special license plate costs $118 for the initial purchase - $40 plus the standard $78 registration fee, $25 of which will be deposited into a special fund. For an annual renewal, the cost is $118, $38 of which will be deposited into the special fund.

The special fund is called The Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarship Fund. This fund will be used to provide scholarships to full-time undergraduate and graduate students pursuing their teacher certification in Illinois. A portion of the funds raised by the plate will be appropriated to the State Board of Education for grants to the Golden Apple Foundation.

To sign up for the plates, go online at www.sos.state.il.us/departments/vehicles/education.html, or phone 217/558-6148.

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Celebrate 'school board recognition month'

January is School Board Recognition Month, a time to show appreciation and begin to better understand how local board members work together to provide a better future for children. Sponsors - including the National School Boards Association - say this might also be a good time to join with others to salute and thank the men and women who provide grassroots governance for our public schools.

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A statewide study of teacher qualifications shows poor and minority kids are taught by the least-qualified teachers more often than their peers, confirming what studies have long indicated. ISBE data shows that children in Illinois' high-poverty schools are 10 times more likely than students in the state's low-poverty schools to have classes taught by teachers who are not highly qualified (The Associated Press, Dec. 21, 2003) ... A Pennsylvania school district apparently has become the first in the nation to sue a state education agency over NCLB requirements. The Reading, Pennsylvania School District's goal in suing the state department of education over the federal No Child Left Behind Act is to protect local schools from what the district believes are unfair sanctions (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 19, 2003) ... Hazel Crest District 152 1/2 can survive without a merger now that its school finance authority has balanced the budget by closing two elementary schools and cutting the budget by 20 percent. The finance authority appointed two years ago to oversee the district's finances, voted on Jan. 5 to advocate that Dist. 152 1/2 remain independent (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 7, 2004) ... The U.S. Supreme Court has set March 24 as the date it will hear oral arguments on whether public school students can be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance with the words "under God." (Sacramento Bee, Jan. 13, 2004).

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