Naperville School District 203 and Indian Prairie School District 204 each had strong showings in the recently released 2024 Illinois Report Card data that gauge student proficiency in a number of core curricular areas.
While there were some differences in the data between Districts 203 and 204, there were some common threads as well. For instance, both districts had all schools designated as “exemplary” (the top level in ISBE’s summation) and “commendable” (the second rank).
The Illinois State Board of Education released this year’s report cards — which were reflective of school performance in the 2023-24 school year — on Wednesday, Oct. 30. In the days since the information became public, school officials in both districts have been analyzing the information.
Below is a roundup of how Naperville-area school districts fared in this year’s report card:
Naperville School District 203
This past school year, 73% of District 203’s students met or exceeded performance levels in English Language Arts in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, outpacing the state average of 41%.
In math, 60% of District 203’s students met or exceeded performance levels in the IAR, compared to the state average of 28%. In the science assessment, 79% of all students were proficient or exemplary, compared to the state average of 53%.
In an interview with NCTV17, Patrick Nolten, assistant superintendent for assessment and accountability, said the results — big picture and granular — are encouraging and are reflective of the district’s ongoing efforts to reverse learning loss from COVID-19.
“Every student group made progress this year,” Nolten said. “We’re seeing that growth across race and ethnicity and different subgroups. We’re very lucky to have an incredibly talented teaching staff and very involved parents and students who are engaged, as well as a community who surrounds all of that.”
Nolten said the data will be reviewed internally at the administrative office before funneling down to individual schools and grade levels for deeper analysis.
“(The IAR is) a summative accountability measure,” Nolten said. “It’s a global, holistic, overall snapshot. We use this as a starting point and then triangulate other data that we collect internally through standardized tests and all kinds of other sources that are internal to the district to try and see where this all fits together.”
Indian Prairie School District 204
This past school year, 61% of District 204’s students met or exceeded performance levels in English Language Arts in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, outpacing the state average of 41%.
In math, 53% of District 203’s students met or exceeded performance levels in the IAR, compared to the state average of 28%. In the science assessment, 75% of all students were proficient or exemplary, compared to the state average of 53%.
In an emailed statement to NCTV17, Superintendent Adrian Talley said Indian Prairie’s overall results were encouraging and will help serve as a roadmap for the future.
“As a school district, we are pleased with our results, as reflected in the Illinois Report Card,” Talley said. “The success of our schools is due to the hard work of our staff as they engage with students in support of their academic and social/emotional development.”
Talley said Indian Prairie staff have been looking at data in all forms — including, but not limited to, standardized tests — to provide big-picture initiatives for student achievement, as well as tailored, specific plans.
“Schools have been laser-focused in examining student achievement data and creating specific plans to support students,” Talley said. “We are very proud of the fact that all our schools were rated commendable or exemplary. We will continue to work to improve upon these great results.”
Statewide trends
Several trends and notable milestones were reached across Illinois in the 2024 Illinois Report Card, according to a news release from the ISBE. Statewide, Illinois schools reportedly attained the highest-ever proficiency rate in ELA in grades 3-8 — 40.9% — since students began taking the IAR in 2019.
In a statement, State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders attributed the improvement to the statewide emphasis on ELA proficiency.
“Illinois has seen a tremendous, nation-leading recovery in English Language Arts, thanks to the talented teachers, principals, and superintendents in schools across the state who have worked diligently to implement shifts in their literacy practices,” Sanders said.
Graduation rates also were highlighted in the news release. The statewide graduation rate this past school year reached a 14-year high of 87.7%. Districts 203 and 204 each had graduation rates of 96%.
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