The Plainfield Sun (Chicago, IL) October 26, 2007

HEADLINE: Plainfield high schools focus on boosting academic progress

By Catherine Ann Velasco

To prevent restructuring and firing of administration and teachers at Plainfield South and Plainfield Central high schools, the district has added numerous curriculum initiatives to boost academic achievement.

Plainfield South High School and Plainfield High School-Central Campus remain on Academic Watch Status because the schools have not made Adequate Yearly Progress for five years as per the standards of the No Child Left Behind Act, based on standardized test scores taken in spring 2007. That means by state law that if this year's juniors do not make AYP on this spring's Prairie State Achievement Exams, the district will have to restructure, meaning that the high schools could open as charter schools, staff would be reorganized and/or replaced with National Board Certified teachers or the district could contract with a third party to operate the schools, said Carmen Acevedo, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Plainfield School District 202 is required to submit a restructuring plan. The district has also formed a District Success Team consisting of administration, consultants and community members who will work with high school staff to monitor progress and offer support.

Unlike school districts that receive federal funding through Title I, the school district is not required to offer School Choice that allows parents to choose to send their students to another school. Acevedo said it is a common misconception that the school district will have to offer School Choice, but not in Plainfield's situation because it doesn't receive Title I money. In order to raise rigor and test scores, the district has added numerous curriculum initiatives to prepare juniors before they take the Prairie State Achievement Exams that includes the ACT. Teachers will be teaching test-taking strategies in core classes, such as math and English. Students will also be offered ACT test-preparation courses on site before or after school. Students will also use "Work Keys," an ACT-produced skills building training system.

"We need to do more intensive work at our high school level. We are not seeing the gains we would like to see. If we can increase rigor and provide ... a scaffold for students who need additional support, I think that will make a big difference," Acevedo said. Hector Garcia, the director of curriculum and instruction for the high school, said the district is finding some freshmen two to four grade levels behind in reading. This school year, the district is providing those students reading intervention classes in addition to their regular English classes.

The district's 2007 graduating class matched its predecessors by earning a 19.8 composite score on the ACT college entrance exam.

The composite score is slightly below the state average composite of 20.5, and the national average of 21.2.

The district's stability is an accomplishment given the district's tremendous growth in recent years, said Superintendent John Harper. Still, he said, high school student academic achievement can and must improve.

"Our community expects the best for, and from all of our students, and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that each of our students achieves his or her maximum potential," Harper said. The 2007 ACT was taken by 639 graduating seniors at Plainfield High School-Central Campus, and by 662 graduating seniors at Plainfield South High School. Plainfield North High School did not have a senior class last spring. Plainfield Central students scored a composite of 20.1, down from 20.4 in 2006. Plainfield South High School students scored a composite of 19.6, up from 19.3 in 2006.