Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lyons Township HSD 204: ACT Baseline, High AP Participation and Equity Work Mark Goal 1 Update
Summary
Dr. Patrice Payne summarized the Goal 1 update: the district established spring 2025 as its ACT baseline, reported strong participation and student growth, and highlighted historic AP and dual-credit participation tied to Access LT equity efforts.
Dr. Patrice Payne opened the Goal 1 update by summarizing the district's focus on student achievement and growth, emphasizing a guaranteed, viable curriculum, equitable instructional experiences and consistent assessment and feedback practices.
Christine Zeman, coordinator of assessment and research, described the state's transition from the SAT to the ACT series and presented spring 2025 as the new baseline year. Participation remained high: over 99% in English language arts, about 98.6% in math, and 98.5% in science. Zeman noted that the ACT series (preACT 9, preACT 10, ACT with writing for grade 11) provides vertical alignment and baseline college-readiness metrics. The district's student growth percentiles meet or exceed state averages in most areas, though science and some demographic groups show room for improvement.
The presentation highlighted equity and access efforts. Dr. Rowe described Access LT, Lyons Township's initiative (partnering with Equal Opportunity Schools) to identify students who may not have been registered for AP or dual-credit courses and to provide supported study-hall settings and "level up" lunches where current students share experiences. Dr. Rowe said the EOS/Access LT work is designed not only to add students to courses but to provide supports so first-time AP students succeed.
Advanced Placement data: districtwide AP participation reached an all-time high in 2025 with 1,530 students taking 2,771 exams; roughly 91% of exams earned a score of 3 or higher and staff estimated collective avoided postsecondary tuition of nearly $3.9 million from earned credits. Administration said 93% of students taking at least one AP exam earned a passing score on at least one test.
The Illinois School Report Card results were presented: LT received a "commendable" summative designation. The district reported proficiency percentiles above state averages (ELA ~72.5%, math ~62.4%, science ~67.6% as presented) and a graduation rate above 95% in the dataset shown; staff noted small declines in English-learner progress-to-proficiency and a modest rise in chronic absenteeism. The equity journey continuum placed the district with moderate gaps in student learning and learning conditions and minimal gaps for elevating educators; administration said that the continuum draws on earlier-year data and will continue to inform action.
Action steps for the year include continued curriculum review, PLC-focused problem-solving and planning time, expanded career pathways, continued partnership with Equal Opportunity Schools/Access LT, and targeted interventions for mathematics and science where outcomes lag relative to other subjects.
What trustees asked and what follows: trustees asked for state comparison metrics to appear on the scorecard where possible and for further breakdowns of priority groups; staff agreed to post the presentation and supporting data online and to return with follow-ups to board/committee meetings as requested.
Why it matters: the presentation sets a new statewide baseline (ACT) for district performance that will guide targets and interventions, highlights record AP/dual-credit participation tied to equity initiatives, and identifies targeted areas for improvement such as mathematics and EL progress.
