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For Immediate Release
May 12, 2004

98 Schools to Receive Academic Recognition
38 Central Illinois schools among those showing improvement

Springfield, Ill. – More than three dozen central Illinois public schools will be recognized next week for making academic improvement. The 38 schools are among a total of 98 statewide whose data shows improvement in their student scores over three years of test assessments.

“More often than not people talk about our schools failing, and time and time again I have said that they are not,” State Superintendent Robert Schiller said. “As demands to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind Act increase, it is gratifying for us to recognize those schools that are not only meeting requirements, but are definitely showing trends in improvement.”

Partnering with Northern Illinois University, a data search identified schools where students have made consistent academic improvement while meeting Adequate Yearly Progress. Recognizing these schools is part of the No Child Left Behind requirements. The State Board of Education approved the recognition criteria during its monthly meeting in April.

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.

A recognition event is set for May 19 at Horace Mann Companies in Springfield starting at 5 p.m. The remaining schools will be recognized at events in Chicago and Mt. Vernon in June.

The 38 central Illinois schools invited to the event are: