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Oak Park Elementary reports sharp IAR gains after state 'targeted' designation
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Summary
Oak Park School principal Annette McMahon told the Aurora East USD 131 curriculum board that the school moved from a state 'targeted' designation to 'commendable,' citing large year-over-year gains on 2025 IAR tests: literacy up to 25.5% (from 7%) and math to 14.8% (from 2%).
Oak Park Elementary Principal Annette McMahon told the Aurora East USD 131 curriculum board the school has risen from a state “targeted” designation to “commendable,” and she pointed to substantial year-over-year increases on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) as evidence of that improvement.
McMahon said literacy proficiency on the 2025 IAR reached 25.5%, up from 7% the prior year, and math proficiency rose to 14.8% from 2%. She said the gains reflect focused work over the summer and the school year to align instruction, strengthen teacher capacity, and target supports for students, including English learners and students with disabilities.
The presentation also described more recent local diagnostics: preliminary I-Ready data taken the prior week showed 9.8% proficiency on that screener. McMahon reported preschool assessment results—COG 3 and LLD 8, including phonological awareness—as “strong” and highlighted the school’s teaching pyramid observation tool for preschool (TPOT) with a November average of 86% and a goal to raise the overall score by 2% over spring 2025 levels.
On attendance and discipline, Oak Park reported a current annual daily attendance rate of 93.9% with a goal of reaching 95%. The presentation noted a chronic absenteeism rate (tier 3, 18+ days absent) of 1.8% as of the date of the presentation and that 10.9% of students accounted for 76 major office discipline referrals since the start of the school year. McMahon credited a Positive Tiger team with coordinating supports and celebrations that drive attendance and engagement.
McMahon described schoolwide literacy and numeracy SMART goals—elementary targets to increase the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations by 5% on IAR, and preschool targets to increase specific early-learning measures by roughly 6%—and said the plan hinges on consistent small-group instruction, professional development, and data-driven progress monitoring.
A board member praised the Oak Park team for gains and encouraged colleagues to visit the school’s Friday welcome event. McMahon thanked the board for its support. The presentation was informational; no board action was taken at the meeting.
