For Immediate Release
July 29, 2004
ISBE RELEASES UPDATED 2003 AYP STATUS
Nearly 450 schools see AYP improve
(Springfield) - Following a six-month data verification
process of 2003 State Assessment data, the Illinois State
Board of Education unveiled an new area of its web site
Thursday, providing parents and educators a place to review
their school's updated school status.
More than 800 schools applied for verification, and of
that amount 720 schools did make changes. In the end,
448 schools saw their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status
change for the better. The verification process also decreased
initial estimates of 1,688 schools failing to make AYP
in 2003 to 1,239.
"This was an arduous process," State Superintendent
of Education Robert E. Schiller said. "Last year,
we saw the stakes raised because the No Child Left Behind
Act required that schools make Adequate Yearly Progress
in each student subgroup.
"Unfortunately, many of the numbers didn't add up
and the ramifications could have continued for years to
come if the schools didn't check that their data reflected
all of their students being both tested and correctly
represented."
The process began in January and ended this last month,
when the Illinois State Board of Education sent schools
their final AYP status and a revised AYP page from their
report card. ISBE held off on releasing the web site,
until all affected schools had time to review their revised
AYP information. Several of those schools have contacted
ISBE wanting to make additional corrections to the 2003
assessment information, but the information is now final.
Schools that did participate in the data verification
process signed assurances that the information was accurate,
and that no further revisions would be permitted. Updated
Report Cards for the 720 schools will not be available
until the 2004 Report Cards are completed this fall. The
process to date has cost $300,000.
"I think it's fair to say that there have been growing
pains along the way," Schiller said. "But with
higher standards under NCLB there is greater accountability
and we have to make sure that the information that schools
submit is correct."
The Illinois State Board of Education held workshops
statewide to ensure that all schools file their assessment
information properly. In 2003, many schools did not have
their enrollment information match their test participation
data and consequently saw their AYP status negatively
affected.
"We are currently working with districts as they
continue to review their 2004 assessment information,
and will do what we can to make sure that this does not
happen again next year."
Attachments will include final AYP page for all schools
and link to AYP site.
Final AYP List
for 2003 
Revised
AYP page from 2003 Report Card for 720 Schools
|
