“Obviously the scores are not where we would like to see them be,” Superintendent Charles Thiel said. “With all the transition that has happened the last three or four years with the state testing program, it’s extremely difficult to get a grasp of what is expected of students.”
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The state had changed the way students take tests for three straight years but has settled with the AIR tests for the past two years. The tests are taken on an electronic device.
“We also don’t have the ability to have one-to-one devices,” Thiel said. “To ask a student to do a complete assessment on a device is a real challenge because they are just not used to working in that format.”
Urbana City scored no As on their report cards this year as a district. It received two Bs, three Cs, three Ds and eight Fs. The district scored five Fs in the progress section of the report card, the part that is supposed to measure if students are getting a full year’s worth of growth each academic year.
Report cards aren’t the best way to go about determining if students are growing each year, Thiel said, because of the constant changes.
“Hopefully, the state will slow down those changes or stop those changes so that we can get a foothold on what is happening,” he said.
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The district had some bright spots on its report card. Urbana North scored an A on its reading portion of the report card.
“This building is just kindergarten and first grade,” Urbana North Principal Julie Willoughby said. “We are improving reading in the district. We have really done a good job as a school.”
Teachers work hard to help the students enjoy reading as it is a building block to a good education, the principal said.
“Our teachers do a really good job helping our students learn and our students work really hard,” Willoughby said.
Students took the time to celebrate the A grade earlier this month with bubbles and extra recesses time. It’s important for school leaders to celebrate achievements, Willoughby said, and to continue to work hard to makes sure the kids are getting the best education possible.
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Amy Paul, the leading vote-getter in the school board elections earlier this month, said she would like to see the district’s grades increase but understands state report cards aren’t always accurate.
“Urbana is a district that has been showing great growth,” she said. “We also meet the needs of many different populations of students … Working with the community, administration, staff and students, we need to work to move forward.”
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The Springfield News-Sun covers education extensively in Clark and Champaign counties, including recent stories digging into school safety and plans to build new schools.
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