Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Assessments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District 25 reports higher proficiency and stable growth after statewide benchmark reset
Summary
District 25’s assessment team told the board that revised ISBE proficiency benchmarks reset baselines for 2025; even so, District 25 outperformed state averages in science, math and ELA and showed stable or higher-than-expected growth for many student groups.
Amanda Chernick, assessment coordinator, and district staff briefed the board on updates to assessment benchmarks, MAP norming, and spring 2025 results. They said the Illinois State Board of Education revised proficiency thresholds across ISA and IAR to align with national standards, which makes year-to-year proficiency comparisons invalid going forward and establishes a new baseline for 2025.
Amanda summarized district results: District 25 scored well above state averages on multiple measures — for example, the ISA science proficiency was reported in the presentation as 73% for District 25 versus 43% statewide, placing District 25 approximately in the 90th percentile compared with similar districts. In math the district reported a 64% proficiency rate versus 39% for the state; in ELA, district proficiency was reported at 75% versus a state rate of 53%.
The presentation distinguished proficiency (meeting a fixed benchmark) from growth (student progress relative to projections). Amanda explained ECRA’s growth model and color-coded outcomes; the district reported that many schools and student groups met or exceeded expected growth. She highlighted that multilingual learners and students with IEPs demonstrated higher-than-expected growth in ELA and math in the period covered.
Dr. Kaye walked the board through the Illinois School Report Card interface and explained the district-level summative designations and how the new benchmarks and the Report Card visuals affect interpretation. "Ivy Hill Elementary School has received an exemplary designation, the highest rating in the state system," Dr. Kaye said as an example of school-level performance cited in the public report.
Board members asked technical questions about the ECRA growth metrics, the meaning of 'students with at least one predictor,' and whether changes in proficiency thresholds would reduce interventions. District staff responded that local intervention decisions do not rely solely on the state report and that the MTSS team is tracking trends to ensure students continue to receive appropriate supports.
What happens next: staff said the district will use the new 2025 benchmarks as baseline data, continue program reviews to refine curriculum and supports, and provide additional reporting to the board on cohort patterning if requested.
