1998 District 203 Report Card

The Better Schools Accountability Law (Section 10-17a of the School Code) requires all public school districts to report on the performance of their schools and students through school report cards. This report card includes information about the students, the instructional setting, the finances and student performance in District 203 and the state. Some financial information is from 1996-97, which is the most recent available. State averages in this report are based on information from regular public schools only and exclude private and other special-purpose public schools. District 203 is a unit district that includes 14 elementary schools (grades kindergarten through five), five junior high schools (grades six through eight) and two high schools (grades nine through 12).

About the students

Racial/Ethnic Background and Total Enrollment

White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American (American Indian/Alaskan Native) are the major racial-ethnic groups in Illinois public schools. Enrollments were reported as of September 30, 1997.

Low-Income and Limited-English-Proficient Students
Low-Income students are from families receiving public aid, living in institutions for neglected or delinquent children, being supported in foster homes with public funds, or eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches. Limited-English-Proficient students are those found to be eligible for bilingual education.

Attendance, Mobility and Chronic Truancy
A perfect attendance rate (100%) means that all students attended school every day.
The student mobility rate is based on the number of students who enroll in or leave a school during the school year. Students may be counted more than once.
Chronic truants are students who were absent from school without valid cause for 10% or more of the last 180 school days.

About the Instructional Setting

Average Class Size
At the elementary and junior high level, average class size is the total enrollment for a grade divided by the number of classes for that grade as reported for the first school day in May. At the high school level, average class size is based on average class sizes for the second and fifth periods.

Time Devoted to the Teaching of Core Subjects (minutes per day)
Time devoted to the teaching of core subjects is the average number of minutes of instruction per 5-day school week in each subject area divided by 5. English includes all language arts courses.

Contact with Parents
There was personal contact between 100.00% of District 203 students' parents/guardians and the school staff during the school year. The comparison figure for the state is 95.5%. The term "personal contact" includes parent-teacher conferences, parental visits to school, school visits to home, telephone conversations, and written correspondence.

Teachers by Racial/Ethnic Background, Gender (Information is based on full-time equivalents.)
Teachers include all school personnel categorized by the district as classroom teachers.

Teacher/Administrator Characteristics
Teacher data in this section include classroom teachers plus other teachers such as those specializing in art, physical education, music, etc. Special education teachers are not included in the pupil-teacher ratio computation.

About the School District's Finances

Term Definitions for Average Financial Indicators
Equalized Assessed Valuation includes all computed property values, less homestead exemptions and adjustments for tax abatements, upon which a district's local tax rate is calculated.
Total School Tax Rate is a district's total tax rate as it appears on local property tax bills.
Instructional Expenditure includes the direct costs of teaching pupils or the interaction between teachers and pupils. Instruction has a very narrow and restrictive definition.
Operating Expenditure includes Instructional Expenditures, costs of Pupil Support Services, Instructional Staff Support Services, School Administration, Business Support Services, Central Support Services, Community Services, Debt Services, Payments to Other Governmental Units for Services Provided, and Central Administration Services. All the above are divided by the 9-month Average Daily Attendance to derive the Operating Expenditure Per Pupil.

High School Graduation Rate
The graduation rate is based on the number of 1997-98 graduates and the number of students enrolled in ninth grade in the fall of 1994. Adjustments have been made for students who transferred into and out of school in the last four years.
The graduation rate in District 203 for 1997-98 was 90.9%.
The graduation rate in the state for 1997-98 was 81.8%

About the Performance of Students: Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP)
IGAP Average Scores for 1997-98
Average IGAP scores in reading, mathematics, science and social sciences are reported on a 0-500 scale. Average scores for writing are reported on a 6-32 scale. "%Scores" in the following tables represent the percent of students whose scores are reported in the tables.
State Performance Standards
IGAP scores are rated in three levels -- do not meet state goals for learning, meet state goals for learning and exceed state goals. The cut-off scores for the three levels were established with the help of Illinois elementary and secondary educators. The distribution of students at each level is shown in the following tables.

American College Testing Program (ACT), 1997-98
ACT scores range from 1 (lowest) to 36 (highest). A "core" program is a high school program which includes at least 4 years of English and at least 3 years each of mathematics, social studies and natural sciences. Generally, students who complete core programs earn higher average scores than those who had less than core programs.
State data is based on regular public schools only, which excludes private and other special-purpose schools.

Areas for Planned Improvement
The Illinois State Board of Education compiled this report card as an instrument for you to use in evaluating local and statewide public education. As part of the statewide assessment and evaluation initiative, each of the 21 schools in District 203 develops and implements a school Improvement Plan (SIP) to assure continued student success. Each school's SIP includes goals for student progress and achievement, teaching and learning, and the school as a learning community.

About the Instructional Setting Average Class Size At the elementary and junior high level, average class size is the total enrollment for a grade divided by the number of classes for that grade as reported for the first school day in May. At the high school level, average class size is based on average class sizes for the second and fifth periods.

Time Devoted to the Teaching of Core Subjects (minutes per day) Time devoted to the teaching of core subjects is the average number of minutes of instruction per 5-day school week in each subject area divided by 5. English includes all language arts courses.

Contact with Parents There was personal contact between 100.00% of District 203 students' parents/guardians and the school staff during the school year. The comparison figure for the state is 95.5%. The term "personal contact" includes parent-teacher conferences, parental visits to school, school visits to home, telephone conversations, and written correspondence.
Teachers by Racial/Ethnic Background, Gender (Information is based on full-time equivalents.) Teachers include all school personnel categorized by the district as classroom teachers.

Teacher/Administrator Characteristics Teacher data in this section include classroom teachers plus other teachers such as those specializing in art, physical education, music, etc. Special education teachers are not included in the pupil-teacher ratio computation.

About the School District's Finances Term Definitions for Average Financial Indicators Equalized Assessed Valuation includes all computed property values, less homestead exemptions and adjustments for tax abatements, upon which a district's local tax rate is calculated. Total School Tax Rate is a district's total tax rate as it appears on local property tax bills. Instructional Expenditure includes the direct costs of teaching pupils or the interaction between teachers and pupils. Instruction has a very narrow and restrictive definition. Operating Expenditure includes Instructional Expenditures, costs of Pupil Support Services, Instructional Staff Support Services, School Administration, Business Support Services, Central Support Services, Community Services, Debt Services, Payments to Other Governmental Units for Services Provided, and Central Administration Services. All the above are divided by the 9-month Average Daily Attendance to derive the Operating Expenditure Per Pupil.

High School Graduation Rate The graduation rate is based on the number of 1997-98 graduates and the number of students enrolled in ninth grade in the fall of 1994. Adjustments have been made for students who transferred into and out of school in the last four years. The graduation rate in District 203 for 1997-98 was 90.9%. The graduation rate in the state for 1997-98 was 81.8%
About the Performance of Students: Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) IGAP Average Scores for 1997-98 Average IGAP scores in reading, mathematics, science and social sciences are reported on a 0-500 scale. Average scores for writing are reported on a 6-32 scale. "%Scores" in the following tables represent the percent of students whose scores are reported in the tables. State Performance Standards IGAP scores are rated in three levels -- do not meet state goals for learning, meet state goals for learning and exceed state goals. The cut-off scores for the three levels were established with the help of Illinois elementary and secondary educators. The distribution of students at each level is shown in the following tables.

American College Testing Program (ACT), 1997-98 ACT scores range from 1 (lowest) to 36 (highest). A "core" program is a high school program which includes at least 4 years of English and at least 3 years each of mathematics, social studies and natural sciences. Generally, students who complete core programs earn higher average scores than those who had less than core programs. State data is based on regular public schools only, which excludes private and other special-purpose schools.


Areas for Planned Improvement The Illinois State Board of Education compiled this report card as an instrument for you to use in evaluating local and statewide public education. As part of the statewide assessment and evaluation initiative, each of the 21 schools in District 203 develops and implements a school Improvement Plan (SIP) to assure continued student success. Each school's SIP includes goals for student progress and achievement, teaching and learning, and the school as a learning community.

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Low-Income and Limited-English-Proficient Students Low-Income students are from families receiving public aid, living in institutions for neglected or delinquent children, being supported in foster homes with public funds, or eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches. Limited-English-Proficient students are those found to be eligible for bilingual education.

Attendance, Mobility and Chronic Truancy A perfect attendance rate (100%) means that all students attended school every day. The student mobility rate is based on the number of students who enroll in or leave a school during the school year. Students may be counted more than once. Chronic truants are students who were absent from school without valid cause for 10% or more of the last 180 school days.