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 it:

• 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:

• Overall, Liberty Middle School was ranked a commendable school, with an overall index score of 74.4. In 2023, we were also a commendable school, but our overall index score was 66.58. This huge gain is a testament to the hard work of our students and staff!

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.

What is the 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
  • Targeted – schools with one or more underperforming groups
  • Comprehensive – schools in bottom 5 percent statewide

Our School's Summative Designation

• Liberty received a Commendable status, with an overall index score of 74.4. This is a significant increase from our school in 2023, which was 66.58!

WHAT IS 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 Liberty Middle School our rate is 12 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. 

Liberty Middle School 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. Our students are grouped into Teams for all core classes, ensuring a strong connection to their teachers which encourages regular student attendance. If your student is struggling with wanting to come to school, please reach out to their grade level counselor.

WHAT WE ARE DOING TO MOVE OUR SCHOOL FORWARD?

At Liberty Middle School, we are heavily invested in our PLC process to continue to improve student achievement. Our teachers and staff are committed to ensuring all students are able to learn at high levels and continue to refine their practices to the highest standard possible. We continue to analyze our instructional gaps and work toward addressing those gaps with small group targeted interventions such as reading seminar or Hops. Also, we are fostering a positive school culture that prioritizes student well-being, encourages a growth mindset, and celebrates academic achievements that can motivate students to perform their best in all areas of academics.