Journal & Topics Media Group

Most Students In Dist. 62 Meet Reading, Math Expectations


Most students in Des Plaines Elementary School Dist. 62 are meeting expectations for growth in reading and math as outlined by ECRA, a third-party education research group.

Laura Sangroula, assistant superintendent for instructional services, presented data on reading and math scores across all grade levels from the past year in Dist. 62 to board of education members Monday, June 17.

For kindergarten through second grade reading and math scores, the district used the FastBridge learning assessment system. Students in this age group take a verbal assessment of their reading skills, according to Sangroula.

Data for third through eighth grade students was collected from Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test results. Students in these grades take written assessments of their reading skills.

Although kindergarten and first grade students in the district measured at or came in above expectations for Spanish language reading, they were in the 36th percentile, below the national average, in English language reading.

Sangroula said this may be because, as a phonetic language — one where letters are always pronounced the same — Spanish may be easier to read verbally.

By the time Dist. 62 students are in second grade, they rank slightly above the national average of students meeting expectations in reading. Students in third through eighth grade classes in the district also maintained the trend of steady growth this year, with each grade level at or above the national average.

Board member James Poskozim pointed out that the district’s ESL students were able to keep up with reading expectations as they stayed in district schools.

“That’s a really positive message that may not be highlighted, because it’s buried in the data,” he said.

Kindergarten and first grade students in Dist. 62 also performed lower than the national average in math last year, landing in the 48th percentile. Again, by second grade students demonstrated significant growth, landing far above the national average in the 65th percentile.

Throughout third to eighth grade, students also continued to consistently meet or exceed expectations over the 2018-2019 school year.

“Statistically…they’re starting here below average and leaving above average,” said board member Brian Inzerello of the data.

Additionally, Dist. 62 students scored higher than the state average in the PARCC test attainment category, which measures the percent of students on a positive trajectory for college and career.

In reading, 55.4 percent of Dist. 62 students were on a positive trajectory compared to 36.9 percent of students state-wide. In math, 43.5 percent of students in the district were on a positive trajectory compared to 31.3 percent of students state-wide.

To maintain progress in the district and improve scores for kindergarten and first grade students, Dist. 62 staff has developed an action plan. Sangroula said this plan includes utilization of curricular resources such as curriculum maps, instruction planning based on the data, continued assessments, systems alignment and professional learning.

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