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8 | November 23, 2016 | The Lockport Legend news lockportlegend.com State, local legislators speak at AARP breakfast Jessie Molloy Freelance Reporter The Illinois chapter of the AARP held a legislative breakfast for Lockport Township residents at Prairie Bluff Golf Course Nov. 14, to discuss pending state and local issues. Speaking at the event were State Sen. Jennifer Bertino- Tarrant, State Rep. Natalie Manley, State Rep. Emily McAsey, Trustee of Lockport Township Dean Morelli, Mayor of Lockport Steve Streit, and State Rep. Larry Walsh’s Chief of Staff Nick Palmer. One hundred and twentyfive residents from Lockport Township and the surrounding communities attended the event, which featured a complimentary buffet breakfast. “We had a really great turnout,” said Courtney Hedderman, AARP Illinois’ Associate State Director of Advocacy and Outreach, who organized the event. “We really want to engage elected officials on the issues that matter to local residents, especially those of retirement age who have a lot of financial concerns.” One of the biggest issues the group discussed was the legislature’s pending action on House Bill 4351, which passed earlier this year but was vetoed by Governor Bruce Rauner. In an attempt to save tax dollars, Rauner has proposed replacing the current Community Care Program with a new Community Reinvestment Program, which would cut $200 million in senior services from the budget by reducing services and increasing the standards for service eligibility. HB 4351 opposes this change and ensures that the Community Care Program would remain in place as-is until a new need assessment system is approved by the federal government. “Currently we [are] using the Determination of Need, or DON, assessment to see who qualifies for the program,” Hedderman said. “This system is admittedly pretty subjective so it’s possible that a new system will be approved in a year or two, but until then this would lock the current qualifying score in, instead of raising it, and make sure that everyone who is currently receiving benefits could continue to do so.” The Community Care Program provides services like homemakers service, delivered meals, medication management assistance, adult day services and respite services to seniors who would otherwise not be able to continue living at home. All three of the present legislators and Palmer, speaking on Walsh’s behalf, expressed their disapproval of Rauner’s veto and said they would be voting to override it. “I think the AARP has done a spectacular job keeping us informed on the needs of seniors and I will be voting to maintain the status quo,” said Bertino-Tarrant. “We have a difficult road ahead of us with the budget, but senior services and health issues are not the place to make cuts.” Both Bertino-Tarrant and McAsey also stated they believed Rauner’s plans would end up being more costly to the state and residents in the long-run. “It makes more sense to fund this program and let people live in their homes, where they’re more comfortable and it’s less expensive, for as long as possible,” said McAsey. Other issues the legislators discussed their opposition to which the AARP members voiced their concern over were a measure introduced by ComEd to add an extra charge to customers’ bills based on their one-time maximum kilowatt demand during each billing cycle, and a proposition from the governor to tax retirement benefits. “I do not support taxing retirement benefits,” Manley said. “These people have already done their tours of duty and this would be morally wrong because in many cases those dollars could mean life or death.” Palmer, Streit, and Morelli took the topics of conversation off state issues and focused more on the local bright side, assuring residents that while the state has its financially struggles, Will County is doing well. “The future is still very bright in Will County despite the challenges going on in Springfield,” said Palmer, who emphasized the fact the county is poised to pass a balanced budget and currently has an AA credit rating, thanks largely to a well executed cash reserve plan. Streit spoke largely about the coming redevelopments in the city of Lockport including several incoming businesses and the planned renovations on State Street. “When it all gets put back together it’s going to look really nice,” Streit said of the road work and the additions of “the first new buildings in the downtown in at least forty years.” Hunt Club Estates • 18019 Conlee Dr. Mokena • $599,000 All Lockport Schools! Elegant Brick Ranch, 5 bedrooms, 3 & 1/2 bathsFull, finished walk-out basement w/ theatre room, game room, wet bar, exercise room w/ sauna. Property sits on 1 acre and has built in Pool, hot tub, 3-hole putting green w/ sand trap and Tee box. Too much to list... Call for more details and to schedule your private showing. 815-485-2724 132 E. Francis Rd, New Lenox A Trusted Name in the Lincoln-Way Community - For Over 50 YEARS! D92 students put their spelling to the test Submitted by Will County School District 92 Ludwig School held its annual Spelling Bee Nov. 10. There were 34 fourthgraders and 33 fifth-graders who participated. The runner up for fourth grade was Ivanna Gonzalez, and the winner was Mary Sola. The fifth-grade runner up was Faustyna Kielar, and the winner was Griffin Garrett. All of the participants studied for over a month in preparation for the bee. RIGHT: Ludwig School student Ivanna Gonzalez (left) was the fourth-grade runner up for the school’s Spelling Bee on Nov. 10, and Mary Sola was the winner. Photo submitted
lockportlegend.com news the Lockport Legend | November 23, 2016 | 9 Lockport area schools exceed state testing averages Kirsten Onsgard Contributing Editor Academic progress improved at a higher rate in Lockport and Homer Glen school districts than the state average in 2016, standardized test results show. Statewide results show a 1 percent increase in students performing at or above grade level, while elementary and high school districts in Lockport, Homer Glen and Will County all improved scores by at least 3 percent year-toyear. The figures stem from the results of the second year of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam. The results from the 2016 exam were released Oct. 31 by the Illinois State Board of Education in the annual Illinois State Report Card. 2016 was the second year of the springtime test, which gauges readiness in English/ language arts and mathematics and was administered to students in grades 3-8 and high schoolers. State averages show about one-third of Illinois students across grade levels and subjects meeting or exceeding expectations, the threshold used to determine whether or not a student is ready for the next grade level. That figure is lowest at the high school level — with only 28 percent of students deemed ready — and buckles further in minority and low-income students. The state will drop the high school PARCC exam and replace the ACT with the SAT in 2017. Composite results from Lockport Township High School, Will County District 92, Homer 33C, Taft District 90 and Lockport District 91 all exceeded state averages. Lockport Township High School LTHS students showed a modest uptick in meeting grade readiness standards and maintained the number of students considered ready for college in 2016. But, limited PARCC data and a shift away from the exam means the standardized test has done little to shape curriculum, according to Assistant Superintendent Brett Gould. “Looking at the PARCC, we’re a little disappointed we only gave it two years,” Gould said. “There is not enough data to give us longitudinal information to make changes.” The lack of long-range standardized test data means the district is relying more on in-house assessments — such as classroom tests and semester exams — to tweak teaching, he said. Forty-four percent of high school students were considered on track for the next grade level, up 2 percent from 2015 figures. Statewide, high school results slumped compared to lower grades, with just 28 percent of students meeting or exceeding subject-level expectations. At the high school level, students are assessed by course, rather than grade level, meaning students of different grades could be given the same exam. Gould said this makes it difficult to compare to other schools, given discrepancies in curriculum. The district’s 2015-2016 Illinois Report Card shows that 59 percent of students who took the ACT were considered college ready last year, with an average composite score of 21.8 at the school. The state will switch to the SAT in the spring, which will be administered to LTHS juniors on April 25. Gould said that students are preparing for the SAT switch with personalized preparation based on PSAT results from Khan Academy. The district is also incorporating SAT-like questions and thinking into the classroom, he said. “We’re not teaching to the test, but we’re teaching to the same kind of concepts,” Gould said. The district’s report card also shows that its graduation rate dipped slightly from 2015 to 2016, as expected from enrollment numbers released earlier this fall. Senior enrollment is up by 60 students this year, in part due to students who did not graduate in the 2015-2016 academic year and will continue for a fifth year. About nine out of 10 LTHS students graduated within four years, down 3 percent. Homer 33C Homer 33C saw an average 3 percent uptick in students considered ready for the next grade level in 2016. Half of students in the K-8 district met or exceeded expectations, about 15 percent higher than the state average. That figure was highest at the K-4 Schilling School, where 56 percent of students were considered performing at grade level under PARCC standards. Only third- and fourth-graders were tested at Schilling. While results were largely consistent with those in 2015, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Kathleen Robinson said that with additional data, the district will be able to assess where students are performing well and where they are underperforming. The district recently implemented a new common core math curriculum, and is in the midst of phasing in a new English/language arts curriculum. “We are still addressing and adapting our curriculum maps and our pacing because the standards are so new to us,” she said. “As we see areas we might need to adapt, I think we will see that in our assessment.” Taft D90 Taft Grade School saw a boost in both math and reading test scores in 2016. As a whole, the district upped its grade readiness by 6 percent in 2016, pushing that figure over the one-third mark to 35 percent. Math scores in 2016 were up 10 percent over 2015 scores, and about 3 percent higher in English/language arts. “This is one test, this is over the course of a couple of weeks, it’s truly a snapshot of what our children can do,” Taft D90 Superintendent Pamela Kibbons said at a regular school board meeting last month. “But at the end of the day, it is one picture and it is an assessment our children will continue to take,” she said. Lockport D91 Year-to-year average composite scores remained mostly stagnant but total math scores jumped 5 percent in Lockport D91 in 2016. Overall, 39 percent of students were considered ready for the next grade level, with the highest performers in the K-3 Milne Grove Elementary School. Forty-five percent of Milne Grove third graders were considered grade ready, and 37 percent of Kelvin Grove students achieved grade readiness. As per PARCC requirements, only third-graders at Milne Grove were tested, while the test was administered to all students at Kelvin Grove, which serves grades 4-8. Will County D92 Will County D92 showed the highest number of students considered grade ready among Homer Glen and Lockport districts. Fifty-two percent of students’ composite scores met or exceeded expectations, and all three schools required to administered the test — Oak Prairie Jr. High, Ludwig Elementary School and Reed Elementary School — had more than half of its students ready for the next grade level. Scores among low-income student dipped significantly in comparison, consistent with statewide trends. Twenty-nine percent of the district’s approximately 280 low-income students were considered grade ready, the district’s lowest performing demographic. Still, the achievement gap — the difference between low-income and non low-income students — was 3 percent smaller at Will County D92 than statewide.
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