raising the bar: a performance review of downstate and suburban charter schools

8/6/2019 Raising the Bar: A Performance Review of Downstate and Suburban Charter Schools

1/15

RAISING THE BARBy Collin Hitt and Ashley Muchow A Performance Review of Downstate and SuburbanCharter Schools for the 2009-10 School Year.


2/15

Table of Contents

Report: Raising the Bar ...................................................... 1

Charter School Pro les

Cambridge Lakes Charter School ..................................... 6

Galapagos Rockford Charter School ................................ 7

Legacy Academy of Excellence .......................................... 8

Prairie Crossing Charter School ........................................ 9Robertson Charter School ...............................................10

Southern Illinois University East St. Louis Charter School ..........................................11

Spring eld Ball Charter School ....................................... 12

Cover photo - reprinted from Spring eld Ball Charter School wesbite


3/15

E d u c a t i o n B r i e f

J u l y 2 1

, 2 0 1 1

IntroductionSeveral signi cant events over the past yearhave raised awareness for the education reformeffort called the charter school movement.Speci cally, President Obama in his Raceto the Top initiative and lmmaker DavisGuggenheim in his Waiting for Supermandocumentary have pointed to charter schools asa means of providing a high quality education

to students who deserve better than what thecurrent system provides.

Nationally, research is converging to tell usthat charter schools overall are improving education for low-income youngsters. They are able to achieve these results because statecharter school laws free them from bureaucraticcustoms and personnel laws that keep mostpublic schools from trying something truly bold and new. Yet the schools are few and farbetween in Illinois, except in Chicago.

The scarcity of charter schools throughoutmost of Illinois is due to a number of factors.

Weak public policy is one of themstates thathave widespread, successful charter schoolmovements have created special centers oruniversity institutes to oversee the growth of charter schools. Legislation called the CharterSchool Quality Act of 2011, which was signedby Gov. Quinn on July 21, will nally create asimilar, statewide charter school commission in

Illinois.

But another reason charter schools are scarcethroughout Illinois is a lack of awareness.Most communities have not seen convincing examples of charter schools working in smaller,albeit challenged districts. This report shouldhelp change that.

A small, diverse cohort of charter schools havemanaged to open in Illinois outside of Chicago.On balance, these schools are raising the barfor academic performance. This report reviewsof cial state testing data, using straightforwardcomparisons between the performance of charter schools and schools in their localdistricts. Readers can judge the performance of

individual schools for themselves. But overallthey will nd a pattern of success.

In downstate and suburban communities, thereare only 12 charter schools to enroll elementary and high school students. The number of charter schools must increasebut that will nothappen without greater awareness.

Many of the charter schools featured in thisreport are pioneers, opening and nding success against the odds. They are creating one-of-a-kind opportunities for children in theircommunities. Heres hoping they have company

very soon.

What Are Charter Schools?Charter schools are open-enrollment publicschools run by independent nonpro t andcommunity organizations. Theyre giventhe exibility to innovate but are held moreaccountable for their resultsby parents andby local of cials. Charter schools create new

choices for parents within the public schoolsystem; indeed, they are attended only by students whose parents have signed them up.

At their best, charter schools are partnershipsbetween educational entrepreneurs and parentsseeking a better choice of schools. They open

with the speci c needs of a community in

Collin Hitt is the Director of Education Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. Ashley Muchow , a Public Policy Analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute, assisted in the research and writing of this brief.

Raising the Bar

A performance review of charter schools


4/15

Downstate and suburban charter schools outperformed he district

averages in

80 percent of school wide performance measures.

Page 2 of 12

mind, and ourish only if parents choose toenroll their children. If a charter school isunpopular or fails to meet high performancestandards, state and local of cials can takeactions to quickly close the school by revoking its charter agreement.

Performance Records of DownstateCharter Schools

This report focuses on the seven downstateand suburban charter schools that enrolledK-12 students during the 2009-10 schoolyear. Charter schools that focus exclusively onreenrolling high school dropouts are excludedfrom the analysis. Also not included in theanalysis are Peorias Quest Academy, RockfordsCICS Patriots Charter School and SouthlandCollege Prep, all of which opened in the fall of 2010. All performance measures excluding testscores were included for the Southern IllinoisUniversity East St. Louis Charter School. Theschools 2009-10 PSAE test scores taken by theschools grade 11 students were not posted by the Illinois Interactive Report Card and couldtherefore not be included in the analysis.

Of the charter schools that enroll elementary,middle and high school students, the results arepromising. Downstate and suburban charterschools outperformed the district averagesin 80 percent of school wide performancemeasures.

In every instance, charter schools postedlower truancy rates than district schools.

In 5 of 7 comparisons, charter schoolshad higher attendance rates.

In 5 of 6 comparisons, charter schoolshad a higher percentage of all studentsmeeting/exceeding state standards ontests.

A closer grade-by-grade and subject-by-subjectanalysis of performance shows charter schoolsare making strong headway. Overall, the grade-level test results at charter schools exceeded thedistrict grade-level average 72.6 percent of thetime.

In each subject area, charter schoolsoutperformed the average at districtschools in direct comparisons:

o Reading test results at charterschools exceeded district averagesin 80 percent, or 20 of 25, directcomparisons.

o Math test results at charter schoolsexceeded district averages in

71.4 percent, or 20 of 28, directcomparisons.o Science test results at charter schools

exceeded district averages in 55.6percent, or 5 of 9, direct comparisons.

o Writing test results at charterschools exceeded district averagesin 68.4 percent, or 13 of 19, directcomparisons.

In the four schools where the grade-levelperformance of economically disadvantagedstudents could be compared directly to districtaverages, charter students outperformed thedistrict averages in 70.8 percent, or 34 of 48,direct comparisons:

At Decatur Robertson Charter School,low-income students outperformed theirpeers district-wide in 66.7 percent, or 12of 18, comparisons.

At Spring eld Ball Charter School, low-income students outperformed their peersdistrict-wide in 100 percent, or 18 of 18,comparisons.

At Galapagos Charter School low-incomestudents outperformed their peersdistrict-wide in 66.7 percent, or 2 of 3,comparisons.

Legacy Academy of Excellencesperformance did not hold consistent

with the patternlow-income studentsoutperformed their district-wide peers inonly 22.2 percent, or 2 of 9, comparisons.

These results are consistent with thosepublished for Spring eld Ball and DecaturRobertson in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 editionsof this performance report.

Charter schools provide parents with new school choices for their children, which issomething that Illinois families strongly desire.In a December 2007 poll, more than 80 percentof people surveyed in Illinois said that they

would most prefer to enroll their children in


5/15

Charter schools

provide parents wnew schochoices ftheir chil

which is somethinthat Illin

families strongly desire.

Page 3 of 12

a school other than a regular district publicschool. More people named charter schools astheir top choice than they did regular publicschools, 23 to 19 percent.

Throughout the state, many parents are

looking for smaller classes or safer schools.Others are looking for a unique curriculum; forexample, one suburban charter school focuseson ecological issues. Success at meeting theseunique demands is dif cult to measure anddoes not always show up on data-driven reportssuch as this, which focuses exclusively onstandardized measures of student performance.

That said, the data are clear. More often thannot, charter schools in downstate and suburbanIllinois are outperforming the average at districtschools. This is the case with low-incomestudents in particular. Parents who are seeking schools with stronger academic records arelikely to be happy with their choice of charterschools.

As more charter schools open throughoutdownstate Illinois and the suburbs of Chicago,one hopes they will match the success of existing charter schools. Every community could use better schoolsas charter schoolscontinue to ourish, perhaps they will spurall public schools to challenge the norm andimprove how all of Illinoiss children areeducated.

Methods and De nitions This report reviews several measures of schoolperformance. These measures include resultson standardized tests during the 2009-10 schoolyear, gains on standardized tests from theprevious year, measures of student attendance,truancy, and graduation rates, as well as theperformance of economically disadvantaged

students. All data were gathered from theIllinois Interactive Report Card, which ispublished by Northern Illinois University using data provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Attendance RateRegular attendance is a prerequisite for otheracademic achievements in the classroom. Asa general rule, students who frequently missschool will learn less as a result. A schools

attendance rate is calculated according to thefollowing guidelines published by the ISBE:Student attendance rate is the aggregate daysof student attendance, divided by the sum of the aggregate days of student attendance andaggregate days of student absence, multiplied

by 100.

Truancy Rate Truancy has substantial adverse impacts onstudent learning. As stated above, students

who attend school less will learn less. In thecase of truancy, that point can be stated evenmore emphatically: students who miss schoolon a regular basis will fail in school on a regularbasis. ISBE provides the following guidelinefor calculating truancy rates: Chronic truancy rate is the number of chronic truants, dividedby the average daily enrollment, multiplied by 100. Chronic truants include students subject tocompulsory attendance who have been absent

without valid cause from such attendance for10 percent or more of the previous 180 regularattendance days.

Graduation Rate A high school diploma is a prerequisite tosuccess as an adult. Students, simply put, mustgraduate from high school in order to succeedin college or the workforce. Students whofail to graduate from high school will live asubstantial portion of their livesif not theirentire livesat or below the poverty level.

The ISBE requires every school to reportgraduation rates according to the following formula: graduates / original freshmen +transfer in - transfer out or died.

ISAT CompositeStudents in grades 3 through 8 take a series of tests called the Illinois Standards Achievement

Test (ISAT). As part of the federal No ChildLeft Behind Act (NCLB), state lawmakershave set performance benchmarks at eachsubject and grade level. These benchmarks,from lowest to highest, are Academic Warning,Below Standards, Meets Standards and ExceedsStandards. This report compares percentagesof students at charter and district schools whomeet/exceed standards on all subjects on theISAT.


6/15

Comparing he grade- evel results

at charter schools and district schools gives parents,policymakers and axpayers a

clearer idea of where and how charter schools are making progress.

Page 4 of 12

One-Year ISAT ChangeGood schools get better over time. The one-year change in the percentage of studentsmeeting or exceeding state standards providesa glimpse into the progress being made by schools and entire districts in their various

attempts to improve student learning. Thisreport compares the one-year change in thepercentage of students meeting standards onISAT composite.

PSAE CompositeStudents in grade 11 are required to takea battery of tests called the Prairie State

Assessment Exam (PSAE). The PSAEcomponent tests are: the English, reading,

writing, mathematics and science componentsof the ACT; the ACT WorkKeys assessmentsfor Reading for Information and AppliedMathematics; as well as a science assessmentdeveloped by the ISBE. As with the ISAT,lawmakers have created performancebenchmarks, called standards, for each test.

This report compares the percentage of students who meet/exceed those standards atcharter and district schools.

One-Year PSAE Change As with ISAT scores, the one-year change inPSAE scores provides a glimpse into how schools are improving over time, if they areimproving at all. This report compares theone-year change in the percentage of studentsmeeting/exceeding standards on PSAEcomposite.

Grade-by-Grade, Subject-by-SubjectComparisonsGrade-level results on standardized tests arepublished for every school and district by theIllinois Interactive Report Card. In grades 3

through 8, almost all students take the ISATbattery of tests. Similarly, in grade 11, moststudents take the PSAE. In each instance,students take Reading and Math tests. Scienceis tested during grades 4, 7 and 11. Writing istested in grades 5, 6, 8 and 11. By publishing the results of each test, the state makes itpossible to compare student performance atdifferent ages and in several content areas.Comparing the grade-level results at charterschools and district schools gives parents,

policymakers and taxpayers a clearer idea of where and how charter schools are making progress.

Low-Income Student ComparisonsGrade-level results are often available for

student subgroups as well. Examining theresults of students in the Low-Incomesubgroup is especially important to examining the impact of charter schools. The percentageof charter school students who come frompoor households often varies from the districtaverage: sometimes the number at charterschools is higher, sometimes its lower. If atleast ten students in a given grade are classi edas low-income, then the grade-level test resultsfor that subgroup are published. When thatdata was available, direct comparisons weremade with the performance of low-incomestudents at district schools on a grade-by-gradebasis.


7/15

Page 5 of 12

Galapagos RockfordCharter School

Rockford, IL

Legacy Academyof Excellence

Rockford, IL Prairie CrossingCharter School

Grayslake, IL

Cambridge LakesCharter School

Pingree Grove, ILSpringfield BallCharter School

Springfield, IL

Southern IllinoisUniversity East

St. Louis CharterSchool

East St. Louis, IL

RobertsonCharter School

Decatur, IL

Overview: Charter Schools vs. District Comparisons

Above District Average

Equal to district performance

Below district performance

Enrollment LEP%Low Income

%Attendance

%Truant

%

ISAT 2010Composite Score% Meet or Exceed

State Standard

ISAT 2010Composite Score

Change fromPrevious Year

Cambridge Lakes 477 0.4 9.6 94.2 0.4 86 2

CUSD 300 (District Comparison) 19,680 11.3 34.4 94.7 5.4 78 1

Galapagos Rockford CharterSchool 94 5.3 84 94.4 3.3 67 N/A

Rockford 205 (District Comparison) 27,181 10.2 75.3 92.1 6.1 63 0

Legacy Academy of Excellence 269 1.9 85.5 93.1 0.8 52 N/A

Rockford 205 (District Comparison) 27,181 10.2 75.3 92.1 6.1 63 0

Prairie Crossing CharterSchool 362 0 1.4 95.6 0 96 0

Fremont 79 (District Comparison) 2,125 9.9 6 95.4 0 93 1

Woodland 50 (Distr ict Comparison) 6,840 7.8 22.1 95.3 0.2 87 0

Robertson Charter School 236 0 91.5 95.3 0 72 3

Decatur 61 (District Comparison) 8,739 0.7 69.5 91.3 5.4 69 3

Southern Illinois University East St.Louis Charter School 106 0 0.9 89.2 2 N/A N/A

East SL 189 (District Comparison) 7,374 0.3 77.3 91.1 25.3 57 1

Spring eld Ball CharterSchool 446 0 45.1 95.4 1.5 85 4

Spring eld 186 (District Comparison) 14,543 0.2 65.5 92 4.2 67 2


8/15

Page 6 of 12

CHARTER RATING KEYAbove District Average



SCHOOL-WIDE PERFORMANCE

CambridgeLakes CUSD 300

Attendance % 94.2 94.7

Truant % 0.4 5.4

ISAT 2010 Composite Score% Meet or Exceed State Standard 86 78

ISAT 2010 Composite ScoreChange from previous year

2.0 1.0

Cambridge Lakes Charter School performed above the district averagein 3 out of 4 school-wide student performance comparisons.

GRADE-BY-GRADE STUDENTPERFORMANCE

CambridgeLakes

CUSD300

Grade 3 Reading 71 71

Grade 3 Math 86 86

Grade 3 Writing 71 74


Grade 4 Math 81 89

Grade 4 Science 76 80


Grade 5 Math 98 86



Grade 6 Math 95 86


Grade 7 Reading 85 82Grade 7 Math 100 87

Grade 7 Science 96 85


Grade 8 Math 97 86


Cambridge Lakes Charter School performed above the districtaverage in 11 out of 18 grade-by-grade student performancecomparisons.

Cambridge Lakes Charter School

Opened in 2007, Cambridge Lakes Charter School is part of alarger network of educational institutions being developed near

the new Cambridge Lakes community, within the 19,000-studentCommunity Unit School District 300. Located on a 15-acrecampus, the charter school is hosted in one of seven planned,brand new educational facilities, according to the schools

website: Three have been built and next buildings will beadded to meet enrollment needs. Campus activities include thecharter school, Cambridge Lakes Preschool, the Cambridge

Adult Learning Center, and Schools Out. In planning [are the]Cambridge Academy for accelerated learning and Cambridge

Academy On-line. Like new teachers, new schools typically need a full year (or two) to adjust to unique student needs andunforeseen challenges. For the time being, this pattern appearsto hold true at Cambridge Lakes Charter School, with the schoolimproving its overall ISAT scores in a year when surrounding district schools saw slight drop off.

900 Wester Blvd Opened: 2007

Pingree Grove, IL 60140 Grades Served: K-8

847-464-4300

DEMOGRAPHICS

Cambridge Lakes CUSD 300

Enrollment 477 19,680

White % 57.0 58.0

Black % 2.7 4.9

Hispanic % 16.1 27.4

Asian % 16.4 5.7

Other % 7.8 4.1

LEP % 0.4 11.3Low Income % 9.6 34.4


9/15

Page 7 of 12

Galapagos Rockford Charter School

Galapagos Rockford Charter School opened its doors in September2009, becoming the second of three charter schools approved in the

Rockford Public School 205 district. Housed in the former St. Patrick School in Rockford, Galapagos began its inaugural year enrolling 94students from kindergarten through grade 3. Modeled after ChicagosGalapagos Charter Schoola kindergarten through grade 8 schoollocated in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of ChicagoGalapagosplans to double its enrollment next year as it gradually expands toinclude kindergarten through grade 8 students.

According to the schools website, Galapagos mixes a strong foundation of core knowledge with analytical thinking skills.Galapagoss curriculum includes reading and writing student-focused workshops, a Singapore mathematics curriculum, Spanishinstruction, and college 101 philosophy meant to expose elementary students to the college experience. Galapagoss rst year ISATcomposite scores outdid district-wide results and Galapagoss grade 3students outperformed their district-wide peers in 2 of 3 grade levelperformance measures.

2605 School St Opened: 2009

Rockford, IL 61101 Grades Served: K-3

815-708-7946

DEMOGRAPHICSGalapagos Rockford 205


White % 12.8 37.1

Black % 52.1 29.6

Hispanic % 16 23.1

Asian % 0 3.4

Other % 19.1 6.7

LEP % 5.3 10.2Low Income % 84 75.3


Galapagos Rockford205


Truant % 3.3 6.1

ISAT 2010 CompositeScore% Meet or Exceed State Standard

67 63

ISAT 2010 CompositeScoreChange from previous year

N/A 0

Galapagos Rockford Charter School performed above thedistrict average in 3 out of 3 school-wide student performancecomparisons.




GRADE-BY-GRADE STUDENTPERFORMANCE



Grade 3 Math 74 77


Galapagos Rockford Charter School performed above thedistrict average in 2 out of 3 grade-by-grade studentperformance comparisons.

LOW-INCOME STUDENTPERFORMANCE


Grade 3 Reading 59 51Grade 3 Math 73 74


Galapagos Rockford Charter School performed abovethe district average in 2 out of 3 low-income studentperformance comparisons.


10/15

Page 8 of 12

LOW-INCOME STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Legacy

Academy Rockford

205

Grade 3 Reading 33 51Grade 3 Math 49 74Grade 3 Writing 34 41Grade 4 Reading 46 53Grade 4 Math 54 74Grade 4 Science 46 55Grade 5 Reading 65 55Grade 5 Math 74 71Grade 5 Writing 26 39

Legacy Academy of Excellence performed above the districtaverage in 2 out of 9 low-income student performance

comparisons.




Legacy Academy of Excellence

Opened in the fall of 2009, Legacy Academy of Excellencebecame the rst charter school approved by the Rockford schoolboard as part of a citywide interest to bring school choice toRockfords struggling public school system. Legacy began the2009-10 school year enrolling kindergarten through fth gradeclasses with plans to eventually serve students from kindergartenthrough grade 8.

According to the schools website, Legacys curriculumincorporates Core Knowledge, Direct Instruction andInternational Baccalaureate Reform Models. Even thoughLegacys test results fell short of district average for therst year, charter schools in Illinois typically demonstrate animmediate upward trend in performance after their rst year.

Hopefully, this will be true at Legacy Academy of Excellence as well.

GRADE-BY-GRADE STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Legacy Academy Rockford

205


Grade 3 Math 49 77



Grade 4 Math 60 77Grade 4 Science 48 61


Grade 5 Math 73 75


Legacy Academy of Excellence performed above the districtaverage in 1 out of 9 grade-by-grade student performancecomparisons.

SCHOOL-WIDE PERFORMANCELegacy

Academy Rockford

205


Truant % 0.8 6.1

ISAT 2010Composite Score% Meet or Exceed StateStandard

52 63

ISAT 2010Composite ScoreChange from previousyear

N/A 0

Legacy Academy of Excellence performed above the districtaverage in 2 out of 3 school-wide student performancecomparisons.

4029 Prairie Rd Opened: 2009

Rockford, IL 61102 Grades Served: K-5

815-968-4590

DEMOGRAPHICS

Legacy Academy Rockford

205


White % 19.7 37.1

Black % 68 29.6

Hispanic % 6.7 23.1

Asian % 0 3.4

Other % 5.6 6.7

LEP % 1.9 10.2Low Income % 85.5 75.3


11/15

Page 9 of 12

Prairie Crossing Charter School




Located in suburban Grayslake, Prairie Crossing CharterSchool was named one of the nations best charter schoolsby the Center for Education Reform in 2007. The D.C. basedorganization lauded Prairie Crossings academic achievementsand was especially impressed with the charter schoolsinnovative curriculum that uses an ecological, integrated,experimental approach to learning [in order] to develop students

who demonstrate environmental stewardship and globalcitizenship.

Prairie Crossing Charter School is the only charter school inIllinois to enroll students from multiple districts. Students fromFremont 79 and Woodland 50 are eligible to attend the charterschool. Prairie Crossing is also unique in that is the only charterschool in Illinois to answer solely to the Illinois State Board of Education.

1531 Jones Point Rd Opened: 2000

Grayslake, IL 60030 Grades Served: K-8

847-543-9722 Waiting List: 140DEMOGRAPHICS

PrairieCrossing

Fremont79

Woodland50

Enrollment 362 2,125 6,840

White % 77.9 72.9 56

Black % 0.8 2.6 8.1

Hispanic % 3.9 8.6 20.2

Asian % 11.3 10.4 12.7

Other % 6.1 5.5 2.9

LEP % 0 9.9 7.8

Low Income % 1.4 6 22.1


PrairieCrossing

Fremont79

Woodland50

WeightedAverage

Attendance % 95.6 95.4 95.3 95.3

Truant % 0 0 0.2 0.2

ISAT 2010CompositeScore% Meet orExceed StateStandard

96 93 87 88.4

ISAT 2010CompositeScoreChange fromprevious year

0 1 0 0.2

Prairie Crossing Charter School performed above the districtaverage in 3 out of 4 school-wide student performancecomparisons.

GRADE-BY-GRADE STUDENT PERFORMANCE

PrairieCrossing

Fremont79

Woodland50

WeightedAverage

Grade 3 Reading 91 88 81 83

Grade 3 Math 95 99 92 94

Grade 3 Writing 91 76 68 70

Grade 4 Reading 85 86 82 83Grade 4 Math 98 94 89 90

Grade 4 Science 98 91 84 86


Grade 5 Math 100 96 88 90



Grade 6 Math 100 95 92 93



Grade 7 Math 98 95 93 93

Grade 7 Science 95 95 91 92Grade 8 Reading 100 96 88 90

Grade 8 Math 100 95 89 90


Prairie Crossing Charter School performed above the district average in 18 outof 18 grade-by-grade student performance comparisons.


12/15

Page 10 of 12

SCHOOL-WIDE PERFORMANCERobertson Decatur 61


Truant % 0 5.4

ISAT 2010Composite Score% Meet or ExceedState Standard

72 69

ISAT 2010

Composite ScoreChange from previousyear

3 3

Robertson Charter School performed above the districtaverage in 3 out of 4 school-wide student performancecomparisons.

LOW-INCOME STUDENTPERFORMANCE

Robert-sonDecatur

61Grade 3Reading 71 66

Grade 3Math 67 77

Grade 3Writing 35 42

Grade 4Reading 70 58

Grade 4Math 65 74Grade 4Science 39 59


Grade 5Math 83 75



Grade 6Math 89 76


Grade 7Reading 64 61Grade 7Math 86 70

Grade 7Science 46 66


Grade 8Math 75 66


Robertson Charter School performedabove the district average in 12 out of 18 low-income student performancecomparisons.

GRADE-BY-GRADESTUDENT PERFORMANCE

Robert-sonDecatur

61Grade 3Reading 71 70

Grade 3Math 67 79



Grade 4Math 68 78Grade 4Science 40 66


Grade 5Math 86 77



Grade 6Math 89 79


Grade 7Reading 56 65Grade 7Math 84 74

Grade 7Science 48 69


Grade 8Math 74 71


Robertson Charter School performedabove the district average in 11out of 18 grade-by-grade studentperformance comparisons.




Robertson Charter School

Located in Decatur, Robertson Charter School began as adream according to the schools website. The idea was toprovide an alternative educational opportunity for students and

their families living in Decatur, Illinois. After nearly 18 monthsof preparation, the school was opened in July 2001 with 67students. The initial site of the school was a converted of cespace.

Today, the school enrolls 236 students, and is located in aschool building. Robertsons recent test results have earned highpraise from the Illinois State board of Education. Due to thehigh demand for enrollment, Robertson is building a new wing that includes a state-of-the-art gymnasium, science labs, andclassrooms. The new wing would add capacity for 70 additionalstudents.

2240 East Geddes Ave Opened: 2001

Decatur, IL 62522 Grades Served: K-8

217-428-7072 Waiting List: 408

DEMOGRAPHICSRobertson Decatur 61


White % 3.4 44

Black % 90.3 44.6

Hispanic % 0.4 1.7

Asian % 0 0.9

Other % 5.9 8.7

LEP % 0 0.7

Low Income % 91.5 69.5


13/15

Page 11 of 12

Southern Illinois University

East St. Louis Charter School

Opened in the fall of 2000, the SIU East St. Louis Charter Schoolenrolls students from one of the states most beleaguered communities.Moreover, the school itself focuses on enrolling many of thatcommunitys most challenging students.

Initially begun as a school for high school dropouts, the small charterhigh school has evolved into an attractive alternative to East St. Louisslarge, lone district-run high school. Particularly attractive to students,according to school staff, is the ne arts curriculum and after schoolactivities offered by the charter school.

Due to comparatively low performance test scores, SIU East St.Louis Charter School has repeatedly, beginning with its rst charterproposal, sought to open an elementary and middle school of theircharter school, an idea rejected by the district. However, SIU East St.Louis Charter School graduated all of its 22 seniors this year and kepttruancy percentages low compared to the district average.

601 James R Thompson Grades Served: 9-

East Saint Louis, IL 62201 Opened: 2000

618-482-8370 Waiting List: 16

DEMOGRAPHICSSIU East SL 189


White % 0.9 0.2

Black % 99.1 98.2

Hispanic % 0 1.3

Asian % 0 0

Other % 0 0.2LEP % 0 0.3

Low Income % 0.9 77.3




SCHOOL-WIDE PERFORMANCESIU East SL 189


Truant % 2 25.3

HS Graduation % 100 79.3

PSAE 2010Composite Score% Meet or ExceedState Standard

N/A 57

PSAE 2010Composite ScoreChange from previousyear

N/A 1

Southern Illinois University East St. Louis Charter Schoolperformed above the district average in 2 out of 3 school-

wide student performance comparisons.


14/15


15/15

raising the bar: a performance review of downstate and suburban charter schools

Documents