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ECRA presenter tells Arlington Heights SD 25 board: 'Proficiency is a policy construct'; recommends percentiles and growth metrics
Summary
Dr. John Gatta of the ECRA Group told the Arlington Heights SD 25 board that percent-proficient figures are driven by changing state cut scores and recommended reporting national/state percentiles and growth measures alongside proficiency to give clearer context for governance.
Doctor John Gatta, president and CEO of the ECRA Group, told the Arlington Heights School District 25 Board on Dec. 16 that commonly cited percent‑proficient rates are shaped by policy choices rather than only by student learning.
Gatta showed a 20‑year trend of state and district proficiency results and explained how cut‑score changes tied to federal and state accountability policies produced large drops and recent upticks. "Proficiency is a policy construct," he said, urging the board not to interpret changes in percent proficient as sole evidence of improving or worsening instruction.
Gatta recommended that the board routinely report percentiles and growth alongside percent‑proficient rates to provide context. He used District 25 examples to illustrate the point: "Turns out 63% proficient in math is the 90 first percentile" in the state, he said, meaning the district is competitive even where percent‑proficient appears middling. He also recommended using longitudinal, student‑level projections and an "observed versus expected" framework to judge program impact.
Board members thanked Gatta and asked clarifying questions about who sets cut scores. Gatta said the state maintains cut scores and that the process is largely stakeholder‑driven and qualitative, often producing uneven changes across grades and subjects.
The presentation noted that Illinois is redesigning its accountability system and that draft rules were open for comment; the state delayed a planned January vote to April for additional public input. Gatta urged the board to work with district staff to define strategic indicators or KPIs that align to state policy but give the board clearer evidence of competitiveness and improvement.
The board did not take action on specific changes at the meeting; the presentation concluded with a pledge to follow up with administration on how District 25 can implement the recommended percentile and growth reporting.
