District officials announce results, with more data analysis to come at board meetings
All public schools attended by Hinsdale students earned a designation of “Exemplary” or “Commendable” on the 2023 Illinois Report Cards released Monday by the Illinois State Board of Education.
An exemplary rating was earned by Elm, Madison and The Lane elementary schools along with Hinsdale Central High School. Monroe and Oak elementary schools and Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills middle schools are listed as commendable.
Further discussions of data will take place at school board meetings. Links to the full report cards are available at http://www.illinoisreportcard.com.
District 181
District 181 report cards show increased academic proficiency, Jeffrey Alstadt, D181 communications director, wrote in a letter to the community.
“According to the state’s targets, we are one of the highest-performing elementary districts, exceeding all of the state’s academic targets for student proficiency on state-mandated assessments,” he wrote.
During the 2022-2023 school year
• 78 percent of students were proficient in English language arts, compared to a state average of 35 percent.
• 74 percent were proficient in math, with a state average of 27 percent.
• 82 percent were proficient in science, with a state average of 52 percent.
“We want to thank all of our stakeholders,” Alstadt wrote. “Your partnership in the education of our students is essential to the success of D181. Your support is invaluable. We know that our students and schools are much more than test scores, so we’ll continue to focus on ensuring a premier educational environment for our students and the community.”
District 86
Central’s exemplary designation means the school performed in the top 10 percent of all schools in the state. In order to receive the designation, high schools must have a graduation rate higher than 67 percent and no underperforming students groups at or below the “all students” group of the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools.
In a letter to the community, Interim Superintendents Linda Yonke and Ray Lechner highlighted several data points.
• The percentage of students from across the district who met or exceeded standards on the SAT in ELA (English language arts) increased from 60.4 percent in 2022 to 66.3 percent in 2023. The district’s percentage was also higher than the state average, which was 31.6 percent.
• The percentage of district students who met or exceeded standards on the SAT in math held constant from last year to this year (61.4 percent in 2022; 61.6 percent in 2023). The state average was 26.7 percent.
• The district experienced significant gains on the Illinois Science Assessment for the second straight year. The percentage of students who were proficient and exemplary was 45.3 percent in 2021, 71 percent in 2022 and 80.6 percent in 2023. The state average was 52.2 percent
• The district’s overall proficiency indicator, which is a comprehensive view of ELA, math and science, increased from 59.9 percent in 2022 to 65.4 percent in 2023.
• The percentage of ninth-grade students in District 86 who are on track to graduate was higher than the average for the state. More than 96 percent of ninth-graders were on track to graduate compared to 87.4 percent for the state.
• The district experienced increases in all of the categories associated with AP exams.
Yonke and Lechner said they reflect on the designation with “tremendous gratitude and appreciation” for faculty and staff.
“Their hard work, dedication and expertise not only enabled us to make significant strides this past year, they are the catalysts that will guide and support our continued growth in the years to come,” they wrote.
