While Maine Township High School Dist. 207 stays ahead of the national average when it comes to graduation, retention and test scores, the state's 2024 School Report Card presented to the district board of education Monday (Dec. 2) shows some areas falling short from the previous year. Reflecting on this, Dist. 207 officials noted both a job well done and room for improvement.
One major finding that Assistant Supt. of Curriculum & Innovation Shawn Messmer presented was chronic absenteeism, which accounts for any kind of absence during the school year -- excused or unexcused. It becomes chronic when 18 days or more are missed. The state average is around 26.3%, while Dist. 207 reported theirs to be 30%.
"This has been not only a local problem, but it's been a national problem," said Messmer. "But we continue to work, for example, Maine West has 9% more students coming to school since 2022. West didn't change, we had a little bit of an increase at East and South over the last year. Right now, East is at 35%, West is at 34%, and South is at 24%."
Actions Messmer said the district would be taking to assist students in this regard are more accurate placements of students in MTSS interventions and getting them the support they need to attend classes. Special education teachers will also co-teach in regular, core classes.
At the same time, Dist. 207 maintains its 90% graduation rate (for four years) compared to the state average of 87.7%. According to Messmer, around 96.2% of Maine Township ninth graders were on track to graduate after four years. He also reported an increase in Hispanic students graduating at a higher rate than in previous years.
Messmer described the positive direction in which the results of ELA testing scores are headed. Scores for English Language Arts have increased across all three schools. While math has taken a dip, it's been described as a small difference. Science scores have also been found to decrease even more so, going from 71% of students passing to 64%.
"The test contains quite a bit of physics, and our students are not required to take physics, but most of them do. However, we do have a student population that does not. So, we're looking at how to build in some of that knowledge and other science classes to make that area we can do better," said Messmer.
Messmer also presented a new math course for approval later in the meeting that would not only improve test scores but also help students get credit for math going into college. Transitional Math 4 STEM will be implemented during the 2025-2026 school year and improves upon the current Transitional Math 4, which does not satisfy the requirements for STEM placement.
"Overall, our kids do well. They're successful as they go through postsecondary. Our rate of success with our students gaining a degree is much higher than the national average," said Messmer. "We're doing a pretty good job overall, but there are always places where we can get better as our population changes -- we have different needs."