State Standardized Testing

 

Dear Parents and Guardians:

As the school year is underway, we are excited to celebrate our students’ many accomplishments.  D128 experienced unprecedented participation in and success on Advanced Placement exams administered last spring as well as increases in the Class of 2015 ACT composite score averages.  These results continue to include Libertyville High School and Vernon Hills High School among the top public high schools in Illinois and the nation.  While test scores are not the sole measures of our academic excellence, our students’ strong performance on these assessments provide indicators of the quality of our schools and the level of access our students have to post-secondary opportunities.  Supporting your students’ success on these external measures continues to be our priority as we face a number of uncertainties about required high school testing in Illinois this year.   

As you may know, the State budget process has reached an impasse. This impacts our ability to develop and communicate our assessment plan for the 2015-16 school year because determinations about the specific tests that the State will provide and require of public high school students are contingent on funding.  The assessment division of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) confirmed on August 28 that no specific information regarding high school testing can be provided at this time.  Please read below for the most up-to-date information on specific assessments that is currently available.
 

ISBE Intended Assessment Plan

In order to fulfill state requirements under federal legislation and waivers, ISBE plans to administer PARCC tests and a science assessment to high school students this spring if the budget permits.  The grade level(s) and number of students to be included in testing is  budget-contingent.  ISBE plans to offer a state-funded, school-day college entrance exam to juniors as has been past practice.  The ACT has been administered to 11th-grade students in Illinois since 2001.  ISBE’s contract with ACT expired last year; a competitive bidding process is now in place to determine which test ISBE will offer (likely ACT or SAT), pending funding.  

What does this mean for D128 students and your ability to plan for and support their efforts? Sections below provide the most current information about each assessment as well as D128 plans for preparing your students.
 

ACT or SAT

Colleges and universities throughout the United States accept either ACT or SAT when an entrance exam is required for admission. As mentioned previously, Illinois has administered the ACT to 11th-grade students for the past 15 years. SAT has begun to win state contracts in several states, including Michigan. Should SAT be selected to provide a state-funded exam in Spring 2016, we have plans to help students become familiar with and prepare for the SAT (which has been revised for 2016).  

For many years, D128 students have participated in practice ACT tests in the fall to prepare for state and national administrations.  Currently, October 14, 2015 is scheduled as the D128 Assessment Day. We will wait until the latest possible ordering date to determine whether to offer a practice ACT or a practice SAT. The PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Some students choose to take this for scholarship consideration; it is also a practice test for the SAT.  D128 will select a practice test based on the latest information from ISBE.  If no decision is announced by mid-September, we will offer a practice ACT. Students wishing to take the PSAT will still have the opportunity to do so. Therefore, detailed information about student attendance and test participation on October 14 will not be shared until late September.  We will continue to offer support, resources, and guidance to assist all students as they prepare for college entrance exams, including ACT and SAT (if SAT wins the bid and is funded in the State budget).
 

PARCC

PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) tests are aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Math and were administered to Illinois students for the first time last spring.  D128 students (primarily freshmen) participated in English Language Arts (ELA) I and Algebra I PARCC assessments based on their course enrollments. The results of these tests are not yet available.  ISBE indicates that scores will be shared later this fall.

As you may recall, when ISBE gave schools flexibility last year to determine which level of PARCC to administer, D128 chose ELA I and Algebra I because testing would involve mainly freshmen rather than mainly juniors as ISBE had previously planned. We advocated for this flexibility in order to allow juniors to focus on ACT and AP exams rather than PARCC. We continue to support this position.

ISBE announced plans to include additional high school levels of PARCC testing in the 2015-16 school year, but these plans are budget-contingent.  We do not know which students will be required to take PARCC tests this year. D128 curriculum is aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards, and our students are well-prepared to participate in PARCC.  No additional or outside preparation is recommended for students.  

While PARCC reduced the total testing time for this year’s administration, it was not by a significant amount.  Changes to student attendance days will likely be required in order to administer PARCC.  These changes cannot be made until the State budget is resolved and ISBE announces participation requirements. Our goal continues to be to minimize disruption to instructional time when administering required assessments.
 

Science Assessment

ISBE announced that a high school science assessment will be administered this spring. The assessment is under development. We have no details to share at this time.

Despite the uncertainty related to state-required and funded assessments, district and school administrators, faculty, and staff will ensure that students experience the most positive testing environment possible.  We are following developments very carefully and are willing to remain flexible so as to develop solutions that are most beneficial to our students.  Due to all the factors beyond the control of local school districts, it is impossible to confirm assessment dates and calendar changes that may occur when these decisions are finalized. Please know that we will provide updates as soon as possible.

 

Sincerely,

Rita R. Fischer, Ed.D.
Assistant Superintendent  for Curriculum & Instruction