Academic Performance
- Student Academic Performance Data – Local Assessment and Accountability Strategy
- Range of Readiness Model
- Illinois Academic Performance Reports
- Additional Links
- Additional Resources: Unofficial Online Reports & Rankings:
- School Report Card
Student Academic Performance Data – Local Assessment and Accountability Strategy
Gower School District 62 has aligned student academic performance goals to the NWEA-MAP assessment in both Reading (English Language Arts) and Math. Administered in the fall, winter and spring of each year, from grades K through 8, the NWEA-MAP test allows or classroom teachers to monitor individual student progress throughout a given school year to take steps in close to real-time, to help ensure that ‘a year’s worth of instruction results in (at least) a year’s worth of academic growth.’
Our district-wide and school-based performance goals and accountability metrics are aligned to High Attainment (an individual student receives a MAP score that can be aligned to a national percentile ranking for their respective grade level at a given time of year) as well as High Growth (an individual student’s progress can be aligned to national percentile rankings for their particular starting and ending point in a school year). The following goals are used across our school district and are aligned to our teacher and principal evaluation models to ensure that our long-term commitment to the academic success and development for all students is kept front and center:
- Just Right Learning: At least 65% of students tested in BOY to meet or exceed their EOY target in Reading and Math
- H.S./College Ready: At least 80% of students tested at EOY will be at or above the 50th percentile in Reading and Math
- Catch-Up Targets: A majority of students at or below the 50th percentile at BOY will exceed their expected end-of-year growth target in Reading and Math
- Balanced & Targeted Growth: A decrease in the number of students at or below the 35th percentile at BOY by end-of-year in Reading and Math
- Balanced & Targeted Growth: An increase in the number of students at or above the 90th percentile at BOY by end-of-year in Reading and Math
Use the following link to review the annual student performance data presentations delivered to the Board of Education:
Beginning of Year Student Performance - Current School Year
Middle of Year Student Performance Data - Current School Year
End of Year Student Performance Data - Current School Year
Use the following links to review the end of year student performance reports presented to the Board of Education each spring:
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2024
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2023
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2022
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2021
- Student Performance Data – Winter 2020
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2019
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2018
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2017
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2016
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2015
- Student Performance Data – Spring 2014
Range of Readiness Model
Illinois Academic Performance Reports
School districts are expected to present the IL State Report Card (typically published each October) at a regular board meeting, make it available to local newspapers within the first 30 days of receiving it from the state, and notify parents of the new report card. Districts with websites are expected to post the report card online and provide copies if they do not have a website.
Click to visit the IL School Report Card Home Page
- Illinois School Report Card – Gower School District
- Illinois School Report Card – Gower West
- Illinois School Report Card – Gower Middle
Historical Report Card Data can be found below and can also be accessed via the IL School Report Card website. Note: Annual Report Cards were not published for the 2020-21 school year. Additionally, beginning with the 2021-22 School Report Cards, ISBE has transitioned to an online, on-demand format.
Additional Links
- Visit the Illinois School Report Card website here for school data from previous school years and to compare data between other schools and/or school districts
- Visit the Illinois State Board of Education’s School Report Card webpage here to view school and district level state assessment data and archived assessment data
Additional Resources: Unofficial Online Reports & Rankings:
- A number of third-party, private, and not-for-profit organizations have served as an unofficial source of school data for parents, prospective families searching for a new home, or other interested parties.
- U.S. News & World Report began providing rankings for Elementary and Middle Schools during the 2021-22 school year and offer a series of ‘badges’ and other promotional items for schools ranked in the Top 30% (Gower West Elementary School and Gower Middle School are clear qualifiers)
- Niche.com, SchoolDigger.com and GreatSchools.org are all examples of websites that work to pull statewide data and other publicly available demographic information about individual schools and school districts across the country to make comparisons and to provide various ratings and rankings for the public.
- Each of these websites and search tools provide an opportunity for anyone interested to sign up for email updates, newsletters, and other tools; some of which include a fee.
- Although these websites do provide some information about student performance data related to state testing data, they do not account for individual school or school district academic performance and accountability strategies.