State Designates District 99 Schools as “Commendable”
On October 27, 2022, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released its annual School Report Card, including the district’s “annual summative designation” for both North High School and South High School in Downers Grove. Based on overall data, both schools are “commendable,” which is the designation the majority of schools (80 percent) in the state receive. The highest performing 10 percent of schools are designated as“exemplary” and the lowest performing 10 percent of schools are designated as “targeted” or “comprehensive.”
- To see the state’s report card for Downers Grove North High School.
- To see the state’s report card for Downers Grove South High School.
- To see the state’s report card for District 99.
District 99 demonstrated progress in 9th Grade Students on Track and its graduation rate. Attendance rates have dropped; the district anticipated that attendance would be a challenge following the pandemic, and has developed systems to address attendance.
ISBE evaluates high schools on eight measures of progress. Measures of academic performance and growth (including graduation rates, proficiency in English and math, and English Learner Progress) account for 75% of a school’s success. Additional measures of quality and student success (including absenteeism and 9th-graders on track to graduate) account for 25% of a school’s success. These measures were discussed in detail at the Board of Education Meeting on September 12, 2022.
“At District 99, we are proud that North High and South High are both highly rated schools in the state,” says Superintendent Dr. Hank Thiele. “We value most of all each student’s unique path towards the future of their choosing and these metrics are inadequate at measuring this progress. In all ways we are always working to improve our performance and reach even higher levels of student outcomes.”
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