On October 31, 2013 the Illinois State Board of Education will publish a new, simpler, and more
user-friendly School Report Card. The intention of the new School Report Card will look beyond test
scores to give parents the information they need to stay informed and engaged.
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Kimberly Boryszewski, thinks the change to the School Report Card
is a positive one: “We in School District 81 have always operated on the premise that there is more
to a student than a test score. We’re excited to see that the State is putting an emphasis on the bigger
picture.”
The report card doesn't just have a new look. It is part of a broad effort in Illinois public schools to
help students meet higher standards and be college and career ready. It shows student, school, and
district progress - not just a one-year snapshot of standardized test scores.
The new report card supports the State Board’s goals for all schools to be safe and healthy learning
environments and for every student to be ready for college and career.
The new Illinois report card features:
- At-a-glance information about school performance, climate, and learning conditions.
- User-friendly data on school awards, special programs, courses and extracurricular activities.
- Measures of student college and career readiness.
- Growth measures that will show how students and schools are improving over time.
The new School Report Card is designed to help discussion, interest, and involvement around school
improvement. This year the State offered to Districts an opportunity to participate in the 5Essentials
survey of learning conditions. School District 81 survey data with teacher and student feedback will
be included on the new report card. School District 81 opted not to participate in the pilot survey for
parents because the pilot was only being offered to parents in 6th-8th grade, and did not include all
parents in our school community. All parents will have the opportunity to respond to the 5Essentials
survey regarding learning conditions later this school year.
The new School Report Card for Schiller Park School District 81 and each of our three schools will
be posted on the District’s website. For more general information about the school report card and
a sample of what it will look like, please visit http://illinoisreportcard.com.
