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Lockport Township High School District 205 highlights rising grades, flags complex reading as key weakness
Summary
Superintendent Bob McBride presented the district's student achievement report on Oct. 27, reporting higher grades, a graduation rate reported as "90 97 percent," strong freshman on-track and dual-credit participation, and a district plan to address lagging complex reading proficiency.
Bob McBride, superintendent of Lockport Township High School District 205, presented the district's student academic achievement report at a special board meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, saying the document shows rising classroom grades, strong graduation metrics and areas where the district must focus more support.
McBride said, "Our graduation rate for the class of 2025 is 90 97 percent," and added that "98.5 percent" of freshmen leaving Central in 2025 are on track to graduate. He framed those figures as part of a broader analysis that uses multiple measures beyond the state's School Report Card to understand student success and where supports are needed.
The district report, McBride said, includes five sections and supplements measures that appear on the Illinois School Report Card, which he noted would be released later in the week. "We believe that our students are more than than a single score," he told the board, arguing that grades, course-taking, extracurricular involvement and postsecondary credit better capture student progress than a single day's test alone.
McBride described multi-year improvements, saying A/B/C grades have increased while Fs have declined since efforts begun in 2015'17. He attributed sustained gains to classroom strategies, dean's office initiatives and teacher work in the classroom, and called the trend "a real thing to celebrate."
On advanced coursework, McBride said Advanced Placement participation has broadened and that AP exam pass rates have risen by about 10 percent. He also said the district ranks first among 26 high schools for student participation in Joliet Junior College dual-credit courses, enabling students to earn college transcripts before graduation.
McBride emphasized the district's focus on access: students who "would not have taken those classes" in the past now enroll in AP and dual-credit courses, and the programs include students beyond the highest-performing subset.
Beyond coursework, McBride pointed to internships, community service and on-campus work as factors that correlate with higher GPAs. He noted students earn 40 community service credits to graduate and participate in internships with the city of Lockport and the village of Homer Glen.
On statewide assessment, McBride said Illinois measures proficiency based on a single ACT administered to juniors on a single day and cautioned that while proficiency and growth shown on the forthcoming Illinois School Report Card have improved, that single measure does not capture all student skills.
The superintendent identified a persistent gap in "complex reading proficiency" as a priority for improvement. The board-supported actions McBride described to address that gap include opening an eight-period day at East Campus next year to allow more rigorous course-taking, approving a test-taking skills course for students, and committing to classroom strategies that incorporate more complex texts.
McBride closed by encouraging parents and guardians to review the full report, available in print and as a flipbook online, and thanked attendees for listening to the special meeting brief.
The board did not record a formal vote or motion during this briefing; McBride presented results and described board-approved program changes underway to address reading and test-preparation needs.
