Three Evanston District 65 schools receive awards of distinction

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Updated: February 6, 2012 9:47PM

The Illinois State Board of Education has sent out letters of congratulations to 2011 Illinois Honor Roll Schools, three of which are Evanston-Skokie District 65 schools.

For the third consecutive year, Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School and Willard Elementary School will receive letters congratulating them as Academic Excellence Award Winners. and Walker Elementary School is a 2011 Spotlight School, according to a news release from District 65.

According to the Northern Illinois University Illinois Interactive Report Card honor roll website, the Illinois Honor Roll is a way to measure and celebrate the accomplishments of exemplary Illinois public schools. Rhodes and Willard are among 438 Illinois schools to achieve an Academic Excellence Award. These are schools that sustained very high academic performance over at least three years.

In congratulating the district’s schools, Superintendent Murphy said in the release, “Each year the state and federal accountability adequate yearly progress requirements increase, and each year the District 65 continues to have a showing of schools recognized as Illinois Honor Roll schools.

“This is a tribute to the district’s instructional initiatives, student expectations, and the highly professional faculty and staff in District 65.”

To be recognized for academic excellence in elementary and middle schools, at least 90 percent of the students met or exceeded state standards in both reading and mathematics for at least 3 consecutive years.

All Academic Excellence schools also achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for the past two years.

The criteria for selecting Spotlight Schools is described as rigorous, the release states. Not only are Spotlight schools those where at least half of the students are from low-income families, the school also must be making AYP. For 2011, the AYP requirement was for at least 85 percent of the students pass the state achievement tests in both reading and mathematics. A Spotlight School is one that exemplifies what can be done to help students succeed, according to the release.

Since the state began the Illinois Honor Roll Awards program, District 65 schools have received Spotlight, Improvement or Academic Excellence Awards each year. To view the history of Evanston and Skokie Illinois Honor Roll Schools, visit http://ilhonorroll.niu.edu/scripts/search.asp and search by “Evanston” and “Skokie.”