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Coal City Elementary and Intermediate Schools have been recognized as exemplary by the Illinois State Board of Education, placing them among the top 10 percent of elementary schools in the state. Jennifer Kenney, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Coal City Community Unit School District 1, expressed pride in these results but emphasized that work remains to be done.
Superintendent Christopher Spencer extended congratulations to the schools, stating, "To be in the top 10 percent of schools across the state is impressive and we are very proud of the students, faculty and staff."
While Coal City Early Childhood Center, Middle School, and High School received commendable designations, Kenney noted that both the early childhood center and high school were close to achieving exemplary status.
The Illinois Report Card evaluates school performance based on various indicators. For elementary and middle schools, academic indicators account for 75 percent of the evaluation, focusing on growth in English/language arts (ELA) and math. The remaining 25 percent considers school quality factors like climate surveys and absenteeism.
Kenney highlighted significant achievements at Coal City Intermediate School with a summative designation score of 91.31. Fourth graders showed a notable increase in ELA proficiency with a 21 percent rise over two years. Fifth graders also excelled with high proficiency rates in both ELA and math.
At Coal City Elementary School, third graders achieved their highest ELA scores since 2019. Kenney attributed improvements to efforts by reading specialist Katie Ludes and a shift towards science-based reading instruction.
Middle schoolers also performed well above state averages in ELA and math. Sixth-grade ELA scores reached a new high with a significant increase from the previous year.
High school performance was assessed primarily through graduation rates alongside academic indicators. The school's score placed it among Illinois' top 15 percent of high schools. In preparation for a transition from SAT to ACT testing next spring, students have shown promising pre-ACT results.
Kenney outlined areas for improvement including growth in proficiency levels for math and ELA, reducing absenteeism, enhancing data analysis practices, reviewing local assessments thoroughly, and increasing participation in climate surveys.
Overall district report cards revealed strong proficiency levels across grades three to eight compared to neighboring districts. Kenney expressed optimism about ongoing improvements driven by data analysis efforts.
The full report card details are available online at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/. Spencer described it as "a great website with great information."
