Posts filed under 'Test scores'
Elementary School Rankings
Every year the Sun Times does a handy ranking of the test scores that were just released by CPS for the previous school year. Here’s the most recent link. I like this way of ranking them because it takes an actual average instead of the % of kids who meet the minimum requirements.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1855121,chicago-elementary-schools-rank-1009.article
There are a few schools at the top of the list that don’t require testing in, meaning there is either something great going on there or there’s a group of parents who choose that school/neighborhood who place a strong value on education. Or both.
Oriole Park (neighborhood)
Lincoln (neighborhood)
Hawthorne (magnet via lottery)
Norwood Park (neighborhood)
If you click on the link, off to the left are some other rankings that are fun to look at.
North Side College Prep and Walter Payton are the top 2 scoring schools in the state (of course they require testing and grades to gain admission.)
Make a comment if you notice anything interesting. Keep in mind the elementary scores represent grades 3 – 8.
10 comments November 4, 2009
Wow, CPS kicks butt… if you’re Asian
As an LSC member at my neighborhood school (I’m on as a community member) I received and interesting pamphlet from CPS call “On the Same Page.” It’s filled with some of the key data about CPS and some of it is very eye-opening.
The test score information by race is particularly interesting (and simultaneously depressing.) By overall race, results in CPS vary dramatically. To CPS’ credit, scores for all races, especially African American and Hispanic have increased greatly in the past 5 years (meaning the # of kids who meet ISAT standards.) But mainly because they were so abysmally low back in 2004. Here’s some numbers:
2008 % of Elementary Kids Meeting ISAT Standards
Asian: 93%
White: 87%
Hispanic: 74%
Af-Am 58%
2008 % of Elementary Kids Exceeding ISAT Standards
Asian: 44%
White: 36%
Hispanic: 13%
Af-Am 8%
2008 ACT Score of 20+
Asian: 64%
White: 60%
Hispanic: 22%
Af-Am 13%
2008 Graduation Rate
Asian: 77%
White: 62%
Hispanic: 57%
Af-Am 51%
So those Asian/Pacific Islander families are utilizing CPS quite well, it seems. 44% exceed ISAT standards?! That is pretty good! In fact I’d like to have some seminars called “How to Get Your Child Through CPS Like an Asian Family Does.” Hopefully that doesn’t sound impressive… I would just truly like to know how this group stand out above the others. I imagine a strong focus on education and academics above all else must be involved.
White kids fare nearly as well, but their graduation rate is a lot lower than the Asian kids.
Obviously something is lacking in the system for Af-Am and Hispanic students. Of course that is the million dollar question in school systems like Chicago, LA, and NYC. From the little reading I’ve done, it’s much more than just inadequate schooling, but a range of social and socio-economic issues that come into play that are challenging to incorporate into a school system’s strategy. From other CPS newsletters I get, it seems that some schools with large minority populations have started to crack the code to success, as have some of the charter schools, but clearly there’s still quite a ways to go. I wish I knew what the answer was….
9 comments May 29, 2009
New CPS Test Scores
New CPS test scores (for tests taken last Spring) have been published. I cannot for the life of me find them on the CPS website (www.cps.edu) but you can locate your school here:
http://webprod.isbe.net/ereportcard/publicsite/getsearchcriteria.aspx
One important thing to note is that for this testing period, students who are considered English Language Learners were required to take the English ISATs for the first time. As a result, schools with a large population of ELL students likely suffered some declines. There had also been talk of some type of score inflation last year that was never fully explained, which could also lead to declines at some schools.
When you look at a school’s overall test scores, keep in mind that ISAT scores are reported only for grades 3rd-8th. Younger kids are tested, but not reported (not sure if they are given ISATs or something else.) The typical % you will see is the % of kids who are at or above the state’s acceptable level for that subject. You can also find the % of students who are exceeding that level, which to me is often more telling – is the school going above and beyond somehow?
Things can look depressing in some schools, in some classes. You can find North side schools where only half the kids in a certain grade are reading at the acceptable level. I used to cringe at these and wonder what CPS was doing wrong. But now that I actually have a child in school and have helped in the classroom, I also have to wonder about the parents. Why don’t the parents of those kids all march into the school and try to figure out a way to teach their kids to read? If I found out that half my child’s class was reading below where they should be, I’d be rallying the troops. And I don’t mean getting on the case of the teacher or principal. I think it’s gotta be a team effort somehow. There is not enough time in the day in CPS for every kid to get the special attention they deserve. It’s just a fact. A sad fact. So mobilize, parents! Be a village! An intrusive, meddling village if need be. Just get in there and figure out how to help the kids and how to help the parents who don’t realize that they can butt into the educational process.
UPDATE: From the comment below, here is another way to look at school test scores for 2008 (I did notice that the 2008 parent survey results are still not posted.)
3 comments December 2, 2008
