Almost 140 schools that were on probation last year are no longer on the list because their test scores rose in 2006, according to CPS data.
Following the delayed release of spring ISAT scores for 2006, CPS recently released the list of 46 elementary schools that will be on probation this year. A comparison with the previous year’s list shows that 138 schools are now off probation.
For next year, under guidelines set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the district will raise the bar that elementary schools must meet to stay off probation: 55 percent of students will have to meet or exceed state standards on the ISAT, up from 40 percent this year. The district is still deciding whether to change high school standards.
The district is still looking through Prairie State scores to determine which high schools to put on probation. That list may be released later this month.
Next year’s lists may come out as soon as this fall, depending on when the district gets ISAT results.
Schools that are now off probation regain more control over their budgets and programs. They also regain absolute authority over principal hiring, at a time when Mayor Richard M. Daley and CEO Arne Duncan have called for the School Board to have more power to intervene when local school councils make what they consider to be poor hiring or firing decisions.
One school that made it off probation is Finkl Elementary in Little Village. Principal Susan Jensen says Finkl is now on an “upward swing.” Finkl teachers underwent training to help them teach children how to handle extended-response questions on the reading and math sections of the ISAT. Jensen also credits strong support from her area office and the district’s math and science initiative.
“Our science scores went from nothing to [nearly] the 80th percentile over a period of three years,” she says. “If I was going to bet in Las Vegas, I would bet in our favor.”
These elementary schools are currently on probation, based on 2006 ISAT results:
ATTUCKS
BASS
BETHUNE
BONTEMPS
BOUCHET
BROWNELL
BRUNSON
CATHER
COPERNICUS
CROWN
DELANO
DEPRIEST
DOOLITTLE
EARLE
FARADAY
FULTON
*HARVARD
HERBERT
HOLMES
HOWE
HUGHES, L.
JACKSON, M.
JOHNS, V.
JOHNSON
KERSHAW
KEY
LATHROP
LAVIZZO
LEWIS
MCCORKLE
MCNAIR
MEDILL
MORGAN
MORTON
NASH
OGLESBY
O’TOOLE
PARKMAN
REED
ROSS
SHERMAN
SHERWOOD
SONGHAI
SPENCER
TILTON
YALE
Elementary schools no longer on probation:
ALDRIDGE
AMES
ARMSTRONG, L.
ASHE
AVALON PARK
AVONDALE
BANNEKER
BARTON
BEETHOVEN
BEIDLER
BOND
BRADWELL
BROWN, W.
BURKE
BURNHAM
CAMERON
CARTER
CASALS
CHALMERS
COLEMON, J.
COLES
COOK
CUFFE
CURTIS
DALEY
DENEEN
DETT
DUBOIS
DULLES
DUMAS
ELLINGTON
EMMET
ERICSON
ESMOND
FAIRFIELD
FERMI
FINKL
FOUNDATIONS
FULLER
GALE
GILLESPIE
GLADSTONE
GOLDBLATT
GOMPERS
GOODLOW MAGNET
GRAHAM, A.
GREEN, W.
GRESHAM
GUGGENHEIM
HALEY
HAMLINE
HAY
HEARST
HEDGES
HENDERSON
HENDRICKS
HENSON
HERZL
HIGGINS
HINTON
JENNER
JENSEN
JUNGMAN
KANOON MAGNET
KING ELEM
KOHN
LAFAYETTE
LAWNDALE
LAWRENCE
LIBBY
LOVETT
LOWELL
MADISON
MANIERRE
MANN
MARCONI
MARQUETTE
MASON
MAY
MCAULIFFE
MCCUTCHEON
MCKAY
MELODY
MIRELES
MOLLISON
MOOS
MORRILL
MOZART
MT VERNON
NIA
NICHOLSON
NINOS HEROES
NORTHWEST MIDDLE
O’KEEFFE
OVERTON
PADEREWSKI
PARK MANOR
PARKER
PARKSIDE
PEABODY
PENN
PICCOLO
POPE
PRESCOTT
PRICE
RANDOLPH
REAVIS
REVERE
ROQUE DE DUPREY
RUGGLES
RYDER
RYERSON
SCHILLER
SCHMID
SCHNEIDER
SEXTON
SHOOP
SMITH, W
SMYTH, J
STAGG
STEWART
STOWE
SULLIVAN ELEM
TANNER
THORP, J N
TILL ACADEMY
VON HUMBOLDT
WADSWORTH
WARD, L.
WEBSTER
WELLS PREP SCHOOL
WENTWORTH
WEST PULLMAN
WESTCOTT
WHISTLER
WHITE
WOODS ACADEMY
YOUNG
NOTES: *CEO Arne Duncan has proposed Harvard Elementary be revamped by the Academy for Urban School Leadership, a Chicago nonprofit that works to turn around failing schools.
SOURCES: The list of current probation schools was provided by Peter Ballard with the Office of Research, Evaluation and Accountability. A list of last year’s probation schools was provided by CPS Press Secretary Michael Vaughn.