 The Illinois State Board of Education has released statewide
averages for both the Illinois Standards Achievement Test and
Prairie State Achievement Examination. Grade-schoolers and middle-schoolers
take the ISAT, while high school students take the PSAE.Mary
Fergus of the state board says the results are in line with 2009
results.
"The results from the latest test show that students improved a
bit or held steady," she said.
Students who took the ISAT, third-graders through eighth-graders
last year, improved a bit. Overall student performance on the ISAT
increased from 79.8 in 2009 to 80.9.
Fergus said that points to a bigger trend.
"We're continuing to see gradual increases in student performance
over time -- that's what we look for and that's what we're seeing,"
she said.
Education advocates agree that the elementary and middle school
scores are good news.
Robin Steans with Advance Illinois is quick to point out that a
year-by-year comparison is not a solid indicator. But look at the
longer term, she said, and you'll see improvement.
"The trend over time for Illinois elementary and middle school
students shows slow, steady progress. That's the kind of news that
we like to see," said Steans.
But Steans also sees plenty of room for improvement in Illinois'
high schools.
The state board said that while the average score for third-
through eighth-graders ticked up, the percentage of students meeting
and exceeding the PSAE stayed unchanged this year from last at 53.
Fergus with the State Board of Education said the numbers and the
frustrations are the same as last year.
"We continue to see a disconnect between elementary and middle
school students and those students taking the PSAE in high school,"
Fergus said. "But that's one of the reasons for a push toward the
common course standard."
[to top of second column] |
In 2009 ISBE leaders voted to adopt new learning standards for
all students across the state. Fergus maintains that those standards
will be "clearer, higher and fewer."
Steans said the new standards should raise the bar, and parents
and teachers should see increased performance eventually.
"We are making the right moves in Illinois with the move toward
tougher standards," Steans said. "But unfortunately that will take
some time."
ISBE is not slated to test on the new standards until at least
2014.
"The new standards will be good for the state. The test results
may be ugly for a while, but the new standards will be better
overall," said Steans.
In the meantime, schools are going to have to deal with the
results. ISAT and PSAE results determine if a local school district
will go on, stay on or come off the No Child Left Behind watch list.
Local districts have been given their results, and some are
releasing them to parents. The state board will release a
comprehensive report on local results in late October.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By BENJAMIN YOUNT]
 |
