NEWS
For Immediate Release
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Nearly 1,000 schools recognized for academic excellence on 2008 Illinois Honor Roll
Annual list shows continued academic achievement; Number of consistently high-performing schools doubled to 388 in past year
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) announced today that 989 schools made the Illinois Honor Roll for their continued academic progress. The 2008 honor roll includes nearly 100 schools that are being recognized for the fifth or sixth consecutive year. All of these outstanding schools are being honored for their accomplishments in making progress toward or maintaining academic excellence.
“This list of schools is inspiring and significant,’’ said State Superintendent Christopher A. Koch. “We have teachers, administrators, students and community members to thank for the hard work that leads to academic improvement and consistent high performance.’’
The Interactive Illinois Report Card (IIRC) at NIU worked with the ISBE to establish criteria, identify winners of the awards, and administer the Illinois Honor Roll, which is divided into three categories – Spotlight Schools; Academic Excellence and Academic Improvement. Each award has unique criteria that best reflect the diverse circumstances of Illinois schools.
- Spotlight Schools – Recognizes 499 high-poverty, high-performing schools that are beating the odds to overcoming the achievement gap.
- Academic Excellence Awards – 388 schools have sustained high performance over at least three years.
- Academic Improvement Awards – 153 schools are showing substantial gains over three years.
The 2008 honor roll roster includes elementary, middle and high schools, including charter schools, and represents 345 school districts statewide. Suburban schools represent 43 percent of the Honor Roll schools, downstate schools account for another 40 percent and Chicago schools make up the final 17 percent this year. The 989 schools earned a total of 1,040 awards in the three categories.
The number of Academic Excellence awards more than doubled in 2008, rising from 166 to 388.
Top Ten Award-Winning Districts
| District | Awards | Winning Schools | Total District Schools |
|---|---|---|---|
City of Chicago 299 |
181 |
169 |
576 |
Indian Prairie 204 |
18 |
18 |
29 |
Decatur 61 |
17 |
13 |
20 |
Naperville 203 |
15 |
15 |
21 |
Springfield 186 |
15 |
13 |
31 |
East St. Louis 189 |
14 |
13 |
19 |
Dolton 148 |
11 |
07 |
10 |
Elgin 46 |
10 |
10 |
55 |
St. Charles 303 |
11 |
11 |
17 |
Wheaton 200 |
11 |
11 |
19 |
Other 2008 Illinois Honor Roll facts:
- At all 153 Academic Improvement Award schools, the number of students meeting or exceeding standards increased by at least 7.5 points over one year or 15 points over two years.
- In 2008, 24 schools won the Academic Improvement Award for a third time, and 39 schools won the award in both 2007 and 2008.
- Ten Spotlight Schools are receiving a sixth award this year, having maintained high level performance since the award began in 2003, and 38 schools earned the award for a fifth straight year.
- In 2008, 41 Academic Excellence schools sustained their long-term high achievement and won a fifth award, 43 schools are being recognized for the fourth time (2005–2008) and 27 for the second time (2006–2008).
- Eight Academic Improvement Award schools raised scores by more than 30 percentage points over two years.
- In 2008, 236 Academic Excellence elementary schools showed increases in scores over last year, even though they started at a baseline above 90% of students meeting or exceeding standards.
- This year, seven schools won both the Spotlight Schools award and the Academic Excellence Award. Two are Chicago high schools; Jones College Preparatory and Lane Technical High School. Five are elementary schools; Arcadia Elementary School (Olympia Fields), Chatsworth Grade School (Chatsworth), Union Elementary School (Belleville), LE Stark Primary School (Pekin) and Neponset Elementary School (Neponset).
- Another 44 schools won both the Spotlight Schools award and the Academic Improvement Award.
A complete listing of the 2008 Illinois Honor Roll Schools can be found online at http://www.ilhonorroll.niu.edu/
