Summative Designations

FY 2018 Summative Designations in IAR

Illinois is in the second year of the new balanced accountability system associated with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  With the implementation of ESSA, the state now assigns a summative designation to all public schools and school districts in Illinois.  This designation is an overall description of a school's service to students based on multiple factors and compared to other schools in the state.

Summative Designations

All schools in Illinois are given one of the following four summative designations:

  • Exemplary School - no underperforming student groups and performance in the top 10 percent of schools statewide;

  • Commendable School - no underperforming student groups with performance not in the the top 10 percent of schools statewide;

  • Underperforming School - one or more student subgroups performing at or below the "all students" group in the lowest 5 percent of Title I eligible schools statewide;

  • Lowest Performing School - in the lowest-performing 5 percent of Title I eligible schools statewide.

The summative designations are comprised of Math and English/Language Arts achievement (measured by IAR), Science Proficiency, English Learner progress toward proficiency, chronic absenteeism rate and student growth in Math and English/Language Arts, also measured by IAR.  Schools must meet achievement rates for the different subgroups of all of the types of students they serve (eligible when they have 20 or more of a subgroup).  The subgroups are as follows:

  • African-American students

  • Hispanic students

  • English language learners

  • Economically disadvantaged students

  • Students with two or more races

  • Children with Disbilities (CWD)

How Forest Park Rated

School/Designation

  • Betsy Ross Primary School/Commendable

  • Grant-White Intermediate School/Commendable

  • Field-Stevenson Intermediate School/Underperforming - CWD

  • Forest Park Middle School/Underperforming - CWD, Hispanic

  • Garfield Primary School/No Designation

It is important to recognize that the "Underperforming" designation is based on the performance of one subgroup for Field-Stevenson and two subgroups for FPMS.  The subgroup performance is not based on how that subgroup performed in relation to other subgroups in our district.  The subgroup performance is based on how that subgroup performed relative to the subgroup statewide.  We will never know how our subgroups perform until we receive the designation from the state, since it depends on how the subgroups performed in all other districts.

Overall, all of our students made gains this year.  In fact, Field-Stevenson made great gains in mathematics, the subject in which we have struggled.  Field-Stevenson made an 11 percent gain in mathematics on IAR.  Our seventh and eighth grade math scores also improved.  Every year since the new Illinois Learning Standards have been implemented, District 91 has improved and we intend to continue to improve.

Why Garfield Received No Designation

Garfield Primary School received no designation because the primary schools' designation is based on the 3rd grade scores from the intermediate school that Garfield feeds into.  There were not enough 3rd grade students at Grant-White Intermediate School for the state to determine a designation. 

Moving Forward!

We at District 91 hold high expectations for all students, and we believe every student can meet our expectations with the right supports.  The state's new support and accountability system is designed to provide schools that fall into the underperforming category the supports and resounces we need to reach our goals.  

Thank you for your continued partnership to ensure every child in District 91 is thriving!

Sincerely, 

Superintendent Dr. Louis Cavallo, November 2019