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For Immediate Release
April 23, 2004
State Board Approves Academic Improvement Awards Program
During its monthly meeting this week, the Illinois State
Board of Education voted to approve criteria for an Academic
Improvement Awards program.
Northern Illinois University partnered with the Illinois
State Board of Education to identify nearly 100 schools
where students have made consistent academic improvement
while meeting Adequate Yearly Progress criteria.
To receive an Academic Improvement Award, schools must:
- Have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2003,
and
- Their state test results show an upward trend, and
- The school showed at least 7.5% improvement in scores
between 2002 and 2003, OR
- There was at least 15% improvement in scores between
2001 and 2003.
The 7.5% improvement increments were selected to match
the projected increase in annual academic performance
targets under No Child Left Behind beginning in 2005.
The program is an extension of the Spotlight Schools
honored last fall. Spotlight Schools are public schools
that achieved high academic performance in an environment
where a majority of students' come from low-income families.
Schools will be invited to awards events in north, central,
and southern Illinois locations during the month of May.
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