Inside the Illinois Report Card

OVERVIEW

Purpose and importance

The Illinois School Report Card is a comprehensive tool provided by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) that offers valuable insights into each school’s performance. It serves as a key resource for parents, educators, and the community to understand how well schools are meeting student needs and supporting academic success. The report card is designed to promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the state’s public schools. By providing a snapshot of academic achievement, growth, and other critical factors, it helps stakeholders make informed decisions, set goals, and implement strategies to foster student success.

What it measures

The Illinois School Report Card measures a range of areas that reflect student achievement, including scores from standardized tests like the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) for grades 3-8 and the SAT for high school students.

K-8: ELA, math and science proficiency, growth rates in key academic areas over time, chronic absenteeism, and climate survey (students and staff taking the survey, not the results)

9-12: ELA, math and science proficiency, 9th grade on track, graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, and climate survey (students and staff taking the survey, not the results)

· How families can access Goshen link or Go to www.illinoisreportcard.com. Type in the school's name. You can also type in Edwardsville CUSD7 for the district’s snapshot and from the menu on the left, go to the Schools in District tab.

· Academic performance (key metrics and comparisons to state averages)

Goshen School experienced significant improvement between the 2023 and 2024 School Report Card.

School Absenteeism Rate vs. State Absenteeism Rate
This data shows the percentage of students who miss 10% percent or more of school days per year either with or without a valid excuse
2023

• Goshen – 19.1% compared to the state – 28.3%

2024

• Goshen – 14.5% compared to the state – 26.3%

Goshen Summative Designation
Beginning in 2018, each Illinois school is receiving a Summative Designation, a measure of progress in academic performance and student success. Goshen is currently measured as a Commendable School. 

2023 - 62.00

2024 - 74.44 

To be considered an Exemplary School Goshen must reach a score 84.04.

English Language Arts Growth

2023- 15.57

2024- 23.73

Math Growth
2023 - 13.36

2024 - 15.46

We are excited about our areas of growth shown over the last year. We are currently working as a staff to continue the overall growth of the success of our students.

EXPLORING THE SUMMATIVE DESIGNATION

What is the House?

• The house is a visual model used to represent and explain the school’s summative designation. The house framework helps illustrate how different metrics and indicators come together to show the school’s overall performance. The roof represents the summative designation itself with the index score, while the floors represent specific performance metrics.

• Components of your school’s house and overall score. How the 2024 score compares to 2023.
  • Overall score increased from 62.00 in 2023 to 74.44 in 2024
  • English Language Arts proficiency – 8.65 in 2023 to 8.65 in 2024 – This is the highest score that can be achieved.
  • English Language Arts Growth – 15.57 in 2023 to 23.73 in 2024
  • Math proficiency – 8.65 in 2023 to 8.42 in 2024 – 8.65 is the highest score that can be achieved.
  • Math growth – 13.36 in 2023 to 15.46 in 2024

While we still have room to improve, we are excited to see the amount of growth our students have made between this two years of data.

What is summative designation?

This is the overall performance measure assigned to schools. There are four levels of designations:

• Exemplary – top 10 percent statewide that have no underperforming student groups
• Commendable - The Illinois State Board of Education's report card defines a commendable school as one that has no underperforming student groups and a graduation rate greater than 67%.
• Targeted – schools with one or more underperforming groups
  Comprehensive – schools in bottom 5 percent statewide

Our school’s summative designation· Goshen is rated as a Commendable school. Our school believes Exemplary status is within reach and is a goal for the future of Goshen.

WHAT MAKES UP CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM?

Chronic absenteeism is missing 10 percent or more of school days in a year – excused or unexcused. For our district, that’s approximately 17 days. It differs from truancy, which refers specifically to unexcused absences. 

Statewide, Illinois has a 26.3 percent chronic absenteeism rate. As a district, we are below the state average at 16.7 percent rate, while here at Goshen, our rate is 14.5 percent. This number is also one of the specific performance metrics that factors into our school’s summative designation.

Chronic absenteeism can significantly affect a student’s education and future success. Students who are frequently absent miss valuable and important instruction and classroom experiences. 

At District #7, our mission is to Empower Each Student to Achieve Personal Success. Addressing chronic absenteeism is essential to achieving this mission because consistent attendance lays the foundation for academic growth and long-term success. 

Goshen and District #7 are committed to partnering with families to reduce chronic absenteeism. We want to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive. We create an atmosphere where kids want to be at school each day. Teachers celebrate students each day for great behavior and effort. During morning assembly, we focus on the importance of being at school to learn each and every day.

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MOVE GOSHEN FORWARD?

At Goshen, we believe that every student deserves the best possible education, and that goal drives everything we do. One of the most effective ways we work to improve student outcomes is through the use of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and data analysis. We don't take the early release time entrusted to us on Wednesdays for granted. This important time is when we meet in our learning teams to accomplish the data analysis and planning necessary. By combining these two powerful tools, we are able to continuously refine our teaching strategies, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that each student is supported in reaching their full potential.

For the social emotional side of our Gator's educational experience, we utilize the Second Stepcurriculum to support our students' social-emotional growth. This evidence-based program is designed to help students develop essential skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and responsible decision-making. By integrating Second Step into our daily routines, we provide students with tools to manage their emotions, build positive relationships, and resolve conflicts effectively.